Pokémon Mystery Dungeon - The Demon Comet
by Ryu Taylor the Ferret
Summary: Part Two of the Hope and Faith saga. A mysterious event befalls the world of Pokémon, causing all sorts of trouble everywhere. Pelame the Eevee and Pugno the Riolu of Team Space-Time are again tasked with keeping peace in the world, but their work is cut out for them. And even if they are able to discover what the mysterious "Alpha Bloodline" is, will that be enough?
1. Chapter 1 - Blessing Under Control

**A/N: If you're wondering about the publication date, I had originally posted a preview of this story on that date (8/4/2013). The story's actual premiere date is 10/15/2013. Also, the front cover was a commission done by feyuca of DeviantART while I was at Comikaze 2013. I added some effects to it, but the drawing itself was her work. With that out of the way, welcome to part two of the Hope and Faith saga!**

* * *

Chapter 1 – Blessing Under Control

* * *

No one knew where she had gained the dark power she holds. She once had an older sibling, but it was unknown what her cause of death was. Her dark power had the look of evil to it, but she had it under control, and used it for the good of the world of Pokémon. She stopped thinking about where she could have obtained it, since every prior effort at that was absolutely futile.

She focused her power to unleash a blast of darkness from her claws at the Outlaw she had dispatched herself to apprehend. Though the Hariyama she was fighting had a twofold type advantage over her, the mysterious dark power of hers had him defeated instantly. No one knew why it seemed to be super effective against anything standing in her way, but only Outlaws had to fear that as she was one who vowed to never misuse her power. That was an oath she swore to herself ever since she did exactly that to a dear friend of hers. Though she didn't know why she committed that act, it was poignant enough to keep her true to her own word.

* * *

The best part of her day was spending time with her friends Pelame the Eevee and Pugno the human-turned-Riolu. Her late sister had once joined them some time ago, to her chagrin. After coming to her senses after a journey of self-discovery, she had become a valuable asset to Pelame and Pugno's Exploration Team known as Team Space-Time. Like her older sister, she was a Sneasel. On the day she had officially joined the Team, she elected to go by the name "Blessing." She didn't remember why she chose that name, but she liked the sound of it.

Whether it was exploring with her friends, or returning home to them after a solo mission, she was always happy to be with the Team. And she was happy to train at the world-renowned Wigglytuff Guild. Her life had turned for the better ever since that day one year ago, and she prospered for it.

At the Guild, she had her own crew room all to herself. The room once belonged to the two founders of Team Space-Time. Their graduation from the Guild and residential transferal to the nearby Sharpedo Bluff left that room open for her to use. After a hard day's work, she had no trouble drifting off to sleep.

* * *

On the other hand, Pelame was sleeping peacefully at Sharpedo Bluff, but not without having a strange dream that confused her to no end. This wouldn't be the first time, however. She could swear that she had heard the figure speak before. She had heard it at the peak of Destiny Tower. Though it had been a little more than a year since she and Pugno had reached the top of the tower and earned a Space Globe as their prize, the familiarity of the voice speaking to her hadn't disappeared. She knew Arceus's voice unmistakably. Before he could reveal anything important to her, something would cause the dream to end at that moment, and leave her sleeping normally. She wished there was something she could do to help him get his message across to her. Of course, being fully asleep hindered her.

* * *

"AND THREE!" shouted the Guild crew, filling the Guild's second subfloor with the sound of their morning cheer. "SMILES GO FOR MILES!"

Chatot had lots to do as the right-hand Pokémon to the Guildmaster. Initiating and leading the cheers was one such duty, which he always excelled at. "Okay, everyone!" he announced. "Time to get to work!"

"HOORAY!" responded the Guild crew. That served as the cue to dispatch the crew to their daily tasks.

"Blessing, may I see you for a moment?" Chatot called. Blessing obliged.

"About that strange power of yours…have you figured out where it came from? I know that's what you've been trying to do, and I don't want you to fail at that. But there's something concerning me about it."

"What would that be?" Blessing asked in response. "If you're afraid I'm going to misuse it, don't be. I intend to keep the promise I made to Pelame and Pugno."

"I know that. I'd never think you would break your word. It's a different concern entirely. You see, those Outlaws you've apprehended using that power of yours; as you know, you've captured quite a lot of them, even that Mismagius that eluded the law for months. Outlaws have disappeared from the correctional facility Officer Magnezone takes them to. The ones who have disappeared are the ones you've captured with your special power. I have no idea why or how, but that's the case anyway."

"I see," Blessing said, surprised. "Is there anything else?"

"Nothing else," Chatot said, resuming his usual chipper mood. "Now, it's time for you to get to work now! There's lots to do today!"

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

Upstairs, the Guild's first basement housed the two bulletin boards where jobs were posted. Blessing took a look at the board on the left.

_"Maybe I should stay away from Outlaws for a while," _Blessing thought. _"For _their_ own good."_

Blessing took down a note requesting a missing Chimchar to be retrieved from the Beach Cave.

"Taking' it easy, are you?" Loudred said. "Too TIRED of Outlaws for a while?"

"Not really," Blessing responded. "As if giving away a White Gummi to a hungry Cleffa is a hard job itself. It'll probably be hard for _you_, though." Blessing pointed at Loudred's stomach.

"Oh, you LITTLE…" Loudred started, just as Blessing tossed a White Gummi into Loudred's gaping mouth.

"There. Now you can do your job on a full stomach." With that, Blessing left the guild.

"HOW can that girl be so kind YET so annoying at the same time?!"

* * *

"I keep telling you, I don't know what in the world you're talking about!"

"In that case," growled a Skuntank to a scared Chimchar. "You'd better dig really deep into your noodle, or else."

"That's right," said a Koffing who was flanking Skuntank. "Otherwise, you'll be taking the wettest nap of your life."

"If it comes to that," said a Zubat who flanked Skuntank's other side. "Then I hope you can live without air for the rest of your life."

"But I can't swim as well as a Water Pokémon can! I can hardly swim at all!" cried the terrified Chimchar.

"Pity that," Skuntank responded. "We'll let you stay dry if you tell us what we want to know. And all we want to know from you is how to snuff out the Alpha Bloodline! So hurry up and spill the beans if you don't want to start breathing water!"

"How should I know something like that?! I don't even know what this 'Alpha Bloodline' is! Please, just let me go! I don't know anything! Honest!"

The young Chimchar was panicking, knowing that he was seconds away from being shoved into the Beach Cave's tide pool. He couldn't escape from the cavern, being tied by the feet to a heavy boulder by Evil Threads. He couldn't burn the thread away with his Ember attack, as it was fireproof. His struggling against it only tightened its grip on him.

"In that case," Skuntank said menacingly as he advanced on the poor boy. "Hold your breath."

Skuntank shoved the boulder into the tide pool behind Chimchar, sinking it instantly. It took the young Chimchar with it to the bottom. With their assignment done, the three Pokémon of the roughneck Team Skull left the cave.

At the bottom of the pool, the young Chimchar was struggling desperately in vain to free himself from the boulder. Even though he knew that would just cause the thread to tighten, he was completely panicking and forgot that detail. The thread kept him just a foot and a half below the surface when he swam straight up. If he were only an Infernape, he'd be tall enough to reach the surface. Alas, he was only a Chimchar, and that last pesky eighteen inches were all that was separating him from air. At the bleakest moment, he didn't know how, but he had suddenly been freed. Something took hold of him and brought him to the surface and then to safe ground. He had never been so relieved to be able to breathe again.

"Thank you…so much," he gasped. "You saved my life."

"Take it easy, little one," the rescuer said. The rescuer turned out to be Blessing. "Don't worry about those bullies. They're gone. And I should get you home."

Blessing opened a Dimensional Hole leading to the Volcanic Island to the northwest, knowing that to be this boy's home.

"Hey," Chimchar said, thoroughly impressed. "How did you do that?"

"It's one of my abnormal abilities. I don't know where I got this power, but I saw those bully Pokémon using the same power. But I use it responsibly, for the good of the world. Such as when I rescued you from drowning just now."

"Cool! And thanks again!" He ran up to Blessing and gave her a tight hug. "I owe my entire life to you. I promise, someday, I'll repay you somehow." He then released Blessing and entered the Hole that led to his home. Blessing shut it as soon as he made it through.

"Take care, kiddo."

* * *

"So those stinkers are up to no good again," Chatot said as a response to Blessing's report on the mission she finished. He paced back and forth between the Guild's bulletin boards. "And it appears they have the same strange power as you do. But they misuse it, unlike you."

"They were asking that Chimchar boy about something called the 'Alpha Bloodline,'" Blessing added. "I don't know what that is, but it sounds important."

"I agree. I think we need to speak to Pelame and Pugno about this. Inform Grovyle and his crew from the future about this, too. If there's anyone who can get to the bottom of this mystery, it's all of them."

* * *

Elsewhere in the world, Team Skull gave their report to a mysterious supervisor.

"He knew nothing about the Alpha Bloodline," Skuntank started. "But he's out of the way now."

"He can't mess with us anymore," Zubat added. "We've made sure of that."

"Since that boy is asleep at the bottom of a tide pool with water in his lungs," Koffing added. "We only have to worry about Team Space-Time and those interlopers from the future."

The Pokémon hearing the report got up to address his minions.

"My mistake," he said. "Clearly I shouldn't have sent thugs to do a Pokémon's job. Though I'm happy to hear that a perfectly innocent Pokémon will be no more trouble to us, there's still the matter at hand…"

Team Skull cowered in fear of the incoming punishment.

"…Unless I can eradicate the Alpha Bloodline immediately, my goal will never be achieved. And you three were of no help in getting me closer to it! Therefore, you will be punished by my Disable attack. Team AWD will be picking up your slack while you three are serving your punishment."

He turned to Team AWD and addressed them.

"You know what you must do. And do not fail me!"

Without another word, Team AWD vanished, leaving Team Skull to their fate. Once Team Skull was properly paralyzed and left there with a starving sensation, the mysterious Pokémon looked out the window of the castle he was occupying.

"Team Space-Time," he seethed. "This time, you will fall to me. And with you, the rest of the world will fall to darkness. Mark my words, the darkness will triumph over all!"


	2. Chapter 2 - Explorers' Holiday

**A/N: For this chapter, I decided to try out Greensonic21's soundtrack idea, which explains the track list at the end of the chapter. Let's see how that goes. And also, check Greensonic21's stories out. They're worth a read. Anyway, let's get on with it.**

* * *

_In Team Space-Time's last adventure, Blessing undertook a rescue mission. During the mission to rescue a young Chimchar, she had heard the term "Alpha Bloodline" being used by Chimchar's abductors. The term sounded important, and it was decided that Pelame and Pugno, as well as Grovyle's crew, was to be notified immediately._

* * *

Chapter 2 – Explorers' Holiday

* * *

**"Pelame…"**

**The voice of Arceus was making another attempt to give Pelame his message.**

**"...Blessing…Demon…Dark…Comet…"**

* * *

The message of her dream had once again remained on square one. Pelame pushed it out of her thoughts as she woke up.

"Good morning, Pugno!" she greeted as cheerfully as she could to Pugno, who just got up. "Ready to make this another great day?"

"Pelame," Pugno responded. "I was born ready. Let's do our best today!"

"You got it!" The two left Sharpedo Bluff on that excited note.

* * *

"Got it all ready, Blessing?" Loudred asked, having just finished filling a bucket full of Perfect Apple juice.

"Yep," Blessing answered, setting everything up for a special event to be taking place that night. "Chatot is going to be the town's laughingstock for months! I love Explorer Holidays!"

"Gotta admit, this is a GREAT way to spend an Explorers' Holiday!" Suddenly, Loudred dropped his excited look and exchanged it for a confused expression. "So…how does this all work again?"

Blessing shook her head in annoyance at this question she knew was coming. "For someone who talks as much as you do, you sure do a lot of not-listening. I'm going over it just once more: first, Chatot goes onto the stage to give his congratulatory speech to Treasure Town's Explorers. Then, he leaves the stage. After that, everyone else gets their turn to speak. And finally, we dump the Perfect Apple juice on him as everyone takes their bow. He'll be soaking in the stuff, and he'll remain humiliated like that all through Happy Hour."

"Uh, Blessing…" Loudred gave a deadpan look at Blessing. "The Guild doesn't HAVE a café."

"Uh, Loudred…" Blessing gave an equally deadpan look back to Loudred. "We're not in the Guild right now, and it's happening tonight, right here in the café. Got it memorized?"

"I do NOW."

"Yeah, sure."

With their work done, Blessing and Loudred left the Spinda Café, awaiting the right moment of the night. Blessing stepped on a letter on the way to the beach.

"Hey, Loudred. Look at this."

She read the letter aloud.

_"Introducing the Grey Theatre! Grand opening is tomorrow night! For one night only, see the Ditto Troupe in 'Team Space-Time – The Explorers of the Sky Beyond Time and Darkness!' Playing at the Grey Theatre tomorrow! Don't miss it!"_

On the back of the letter was a map to the theatre, which was apparently located north of Fogbound Lake.

"WAIT A SEC!" Loudred suddenly shouted angrily. "HOW MUCH IS THE ADMISSION PRICE?!" He pointed to the section of the letter that revealed the admission price to be 2,000 Poké per Pokémon.

"Heh. Who said we're going to this?"

"WHAT?! IT'S ABOUT TEAM SPACE-TIME! YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEIR ADVENTURES?!"

"I know their adventures already. And so do you. But enough about that; I'm going down to the beach. Wanna come with?"

"No thanks. I gotta meet Sunflora somewhere. She DIDN'T want me to say where."

At that, Blessing giggled. "Loudred and Sunflora, sitting in a tree!"

Loudred knew where this was going.

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

Loudred turned a very deep beet red out of anger and blushing.

"First comes love! Then comes—"

"Oh, YOU SHUT UP, YOU LITTLE WANNABE MATCHMAKER PIECE OF—"

"Hey, don't talk like that! You don't wanna kiss your date with a filthy mouth, do you?"

"WHY YOU LITTLE—"

Blessing was too fast for Loudred, and she was soon at the beach. Loudred gave up the chase and decided to meet up with Sunflora.

* * *

"Pelame! Pugno!" Blessing said, surprised to see them there at the beach already. "When did you get here?"

"Oh! Good afternoon, Blessing," Pelame said, turning to Blessing's direction. "We got here just about a minute ago."

"We passed by you as you and Loudred were arguing again," Pugno added. "I guess you didn't see us."

"We came here because we got a letter from an old friend of ours."

Pelame read the note she was holding aloud.

_"To Pelame and Pugno,  
I really miss you two. Ever since I became the King of that Undersea Kingdom I found on that solo Exploration I went on three years ago, I just haven't had time to visit. But today, I've finally been able to find a free moment! Meet me at the Treasure Town beach this afternoon if you can! I'll show you my Kingdom!  
-Sincerely, King Manaphy  
P.S.: You can bring some friends with you if you want."_

"Ugh, no way are you saps taking me," Blessing said. "I hate the sea. I mean, I can swim. It's just that I like swimming in warm water or the hot springs. But cold water is a no-go for me."

"But aren't you part Ice-type?" Celebi asked, arriving with Grovyle.

"Oh, of course. _Just_ because I'm part Ice-type, that means I _enjoy_ freezing my butt off. Hey, let's all have Blessing's frozen tail feathers as popsicles! It's summertime, after all! Dig in!" She gestured toward her tail feathers as she turned her back and wiggled her rear at the group.

"Sorry I asked," Celebi said sarcastically.

"And on an entirely different matter, look here." Blessing said. She turned back to face the others and cocked her head to the side and pointed to her neck. "See what I don't have here? I'm pretty sure you're all missing them, too. So, yeah; no gills, no underwater adventure. Too bad."

"Don't worry, little Sneasel! I've got that covered!"

As soon as the familiar voice made its statement, everyone on the beach felt something grow on their necks. The water's reflection revealed them to be gills. And out of the water came Pelame and Pugno's old ward.

"It's been too long, my friends," Manaphy chimed. "How have you been?"

"We've been doing just swell, Your Highness," Pugno answered.

"Oh, none of you need to call me that. I may rule an underwater kingdom, but my friends don't need to be so formal to me."

"Oh, goody," Blessing said. "So, pipsqueak, care to explain why you gave me gills just now? Are you trying to get me to take your tour? Because I'm not going into your subzero home."

"Subzero?" Manaphy asked. "If you don't like the cold, I can fix that for you." Manaphy floated over to Blessing and touched her with a special power. "Come in. The water's great!"

"It better be, darn it all," Blessing curtly responded. To her surprise, the water was a perfectly normal temperature for her. "Well, this is a start. Fine, I'll go. After all, _someone_ needs to keep you all safe."

"Excellent," Pelame said. "Okay, Manaphy. By your lead."

Following Manaphy's lead, Pelame, Pugno, Blessing, Grovyle, and Celebi dove into the ocean.

* * *

Manaphy's power worked perfectly on the five visitors, allowing them to breathe the water as naturally as they breathe oxygen on land. They also found that they were able to swim with much more grace than normal. Even Blessing, who was a rather pathetic swimmer, was moving around easily.

"No fair, Blessing!" Celebi chided. "You're not even swimming! You're just gliding through the water with your Dark Blessing power!"

"Hey, I saved Grovyle and that Chimchar boy from yesterday doing that!" Blessing responded. "Why not reuse this ability?"

"Yeah, okay, you got me there."

"You two didn't have any prior plans, either?" Pelame asked of Grovyle and Celebi.

"No," Grovyle answered. "As soon as we finished setting everything up for tonight, we were free for the day."

"Dusknoir had other plans tonight," Celebi added. "He's back in Treasure Town welcoming the guests for tonight's ceremony, among other self-imposed tasks. I swear, that guy is such a workaholic."

"His work ethic is the only thing he hasn't changed about himself," Pugno said.

"Say, this is the first I've heard of any Dusknoir," Manaphy said. "I take it he's a friend of yours?"

"Actually, he is now," Pelame answered. "But he wasn't always. He used to be an enemy."

"Goodness!" Manaphy said, surprised. "What was he like before?"

Everyone except Blessing filled Manaphy in on the details.

"That's the most interesting story I've ever heard," Manaphy said, absolutely astonished to hear everything about his former benefactors. "A human becoming a Pokémon… I've never seen a human before. What do they look like?"

"They're a little bit tall," Grovyle answered, having been one of the few Pokémon to ever see (let alone know) a human. "And they have hair on their head, but nowhere else on their bodies. Of course, since Pugno wore garments of some kind all the time, I wouldn't know what a human looks like under them."

At that, Pugno's face blushed a very bright pink.

"They're mammalian creatures. They have no Moves of their own, but they've used objects as weapons in combat. I remember Pugno being skilled with a makeshift sword he and I made out of rock."

"Wow," Pelame said. "Pugno, a swordsman? That's really cool! Did you two ever spar to keep up your training?"

"Yes, we did. In-between researching the past, we would spar with each other to stay sharp just in case Dusknoir caught up to us. Pugno lost his rock sword while fighting off a Sableye that had me on the run. We soon made it to the Passage of Time after that happened. I believe you know the rest from that point, Pelame."

"Sparring sounds fun," Blessing said. "We should do that sometime. Of course, there'd be no shame in surrendering once I start mopping Treasure Town with all of you."

"Treasure Town?" asked a local ocean Pokémon who Pelame and Pugno could've sworn they'd met before. He was blue on most of his body, except for his neck which had two white stripes. His head was also white, along with what appeared to be a poofy mustache. There were two giant yellow tusk-like teeth coming from his mouth. He had the general appearance of a walrus. "So that's why two of you looked familiar to me. It's been a while!"

"Everyone," Manaphy addressed. "Meet Walrein. He's my undersea benefactor."

"Pleasure to meet you again, sir," Pelame said, shaking Walrein's fin.

"Has Manaphy been behaving himself?" Pugno asked.

"That, he has," Walrein happily answered. "The Undersea Kingdom has never been happier. Manaphy's crowning came when they needed it most. After losing their previous king to an unknown cause, it was a mess."

"I hope we didn't make it worse when we found Manaphy's egg," Pelame said sadly. "We could very well have prolonged a civil war."

"Oh, no, there's no need for self-pity," Walrein reassured. "Why, you two did a fantastic job raising him. If it weren't for the environmental barrier, you two could've been the perfect benefactors."

"I see," Pugno responded. "How did the Undersea Kingdom come to accept you as their King, Manaphy?"

"As Walrein said," Manaphy answered. "It had a lot to do with opportune timing. But Walrein taught me many things, including the history of my species. I actually come from a royal bloodline of undersea monarchs. It just so happened that every citizen of the Undersea Kingdom knew that, so they immediately bowed to me. And I basically learned my job while on the job."

"Speaking of the Undersea Kingdom, I'd like to ask something about it," Blessing said. "Are we there yet?"

"Actually, yes we are," Manaphy answered. "We arrived just as you got ready to ask. Welcome to the Undersea Kingdom!"

The group arrived in the central square of the kingdom. They could hardly believe how beautiful it was. The architecture was all made out of coral, making use of the giant reef the Kingdom used as a foundation.

"Hey, Pugno! Look at this!" Pelame shouted in the giddiest way she possibly could. Pugno swam over to Pelame to see what she was so excited about. "Don't you wish you could move gracefully like that?"

"If you evolve into a Vaporeon, you could realize that dream, Pelame," Pugno responded.

Pelame was completely mesmerized by the Undersea Kingdom's wonders. The locals were friendly, the sights were works of art to her eyes, and her best friends were with her to see it all. It was evening by the time the tour was finally over.

"The sun's setting now," Manaphy said. "Which means it's time for the best sight of all."

Manaphy led the group to the balcony of the Coral Castle's throne room.

"Whoop-de-doo. It's the reef's drop-off," Blessing said. "Yay for beauty."

"Actually, you're supposed to be looking up," Manaphy said. "You're going to love it."

The group did as told, and they were glad they did. The light of the sunset filtered down onto the Undersea Castle. The reflective shells adorning the castle glittered in the light, lighting up the entire reef. The sight was simply breathtaking.

"Your eyes," Pugno said to Pelame. "They look beautiful in this light."

"So do yours," Pelame responded. She rested her head on his shoulder. "This has been the best Explorers' Holiday ever."

Everyone was fully immersed in the beautiful sight before them for as long as the sunlight shone on the castle. It had been an excellent visit.

* * *

"We'll be seeing you soon, sire," Pugno said.

"I'll look forward to it," Manaphy said. "Today was so much fun! I hope the rest of the Holiday goes well for you!"

Manaphy dove back into the sea. Having no more need for gills since they were back on Treasure Town's shore, the gills lent to Pelame and friends disappeared.

"Gotta admit," Blessing said. "For a trip through the freeze-your-rear-off ocean, that was actually really fun. That sunlight show was the clincher."

"That was the happiest I've seen you in a while, Pelame," Celebi said.

"I just love the ocean, that's all," Pelame said, blushing bright enough for it to be seen through her fur.

"_Love_ the ocean?" Blessing said. "You were _fangirling_ over it!"

"She's right, Pelame," Pugno added. "But at least you weren't complaining about freezing. Right, Blessing?" Pugno shot a smug glance at Blessing.

"Oh, put a sock in it, Pugno!" Blessing retorted. "I happen to like my tail better when it's not frozen, thank you very much!"

At that, everyone had a good laugh. Even Blessing decided to laugh at herself, so as not to put a damper in the giddy moment.

* * *

"PERFECT APPLE JUICE?!" Chatot screamed. "YOU USED THE LARDER'S ENTIRE STOCK OF PERFECT APPLES TO CREATE AN ELABORATE PRANK?!"

"It's NOT all my fault!" Loudred defended. "Blessing gave ME the idea!"

All of the Spinda Café's clientele, consisting of the regulars as well as Treasure Town's populace and local Explorers, gave their undivided attention to the scene unfolding before them.

"Don't even think about blaming a fellow Guild member!" Chatot squawked. "You're going two nights without dinner for this! Two!"

"Why not three? Or four?" Blessing asked, entering the café. "A week might be a suitable punishment for Loudred. How dare he steal all those Perfect Apples and make juice out of them with the intent of serving them as a special drink for tonight's event?!"

Loudred was completely livid. "Why you DOUBLE-CROSSING LITTLE—"

"What a delicious idea, Blessing!" Guildmaster Wigglytuff said. "Perfect Apples are yummy. I've always wanted to taste Perfect Apple Juice."

"To tell you the truth, Guildmaster," Chatot said with the remotest bit of guilt in his voice. "I'd like some, too." He turned to Loudred. "Your punishment is voided."

"Oh, THANKS, Chatot!" Loudred responded gleefully.

"By the way, you five," Chatot addressed Pelame, Pugno, Grovyle, Celebi, and Blessing. "You missed all but the last speaker tonight! Where were you all?"

"Manaphy requested our presence at the beach," Pugno answered. "He wanted to show us the underwater kingdom he recently was crowned the King of."

"Oh, Chatot, you should have seen it," Pelame gushed. "It was breathtaking." Blessing giggled audibly at that statement, momentarily distracting Pelame. "Anyway, it was an amazing sight. All the buildings were made of coral, the castle had reflective shells in it, all the Water Pokémon living there were friendly. But the best part was when the sun set, and the light of the sunset hit the castle, making it sparkle. *sigh* I'd love to go back there again. Fogbound Lake had _nothing_ on that sight."

"I'm telling Uxie on you for that," Blessing taunted.

"Well, I'm glad you all had fun," Chatot said. "Manaphy's a King now, huh? That boy sure came a long way since you two found him as an egg. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must make my speech." Chatot hopped up to center stage.

"Hey Loudred," Blessing said. "How was our prank found out?"

"Dusknoir found it when he and the Sableye double-checked everything," Loudred answered, somehow managing to whisper. "Thanks for saving my hide, by the way. That sure was quick thinking on your part."

"You're welcome," Blessing responded. "Wouldn't be the first time I've had to bail you out. On another note, how did your date go?"

"It fell through. Sunflora had to help decorate this place. She ran by me while I was on my way to the meeting point she told me to go to. I've never heard her say 'sorry' so many times."

"Sorry to hear that. Better luck next time, Casanova."

"OOOOHHHHHH—"

"Quiet, you two!" Pelame said quietly, but sternly.

Chatot took the position to speak to the crowd. "As you all know, our world can be a very dangerous place. Pokémon become violent for inexplicable reasons, natural disasters ravage the land, among other aspects of life. Those Pokémon who can maintain the goodness in their hearts are the Explorers of today, the role models for future generations to do their part in keeping the world as safe as possible. Today is a day to celebrate everyone's hard work, and to show our thanks to their efforts. It's never an easy job, but if it means longer lasting peace, then it's a worthwhile effort. Look, for instance, at all the work done by Team Space-Time. Step forward, please." Pelame and Pugno took center stage. "What was the result of their labors? Why, our world wouldn't even be how it is now without them! With them in the world, and with all Explorers in the world, it is my belief that Pokémon far and wide will continue to prosper. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you."

The standing ovation Chatot received for his heartfelt speech lasted for minutes on end. It was then time for the town's Explorers to exit the stage.

"Everyone, I have an announcement for you," Spinda said. "Tonight's Happy Hour Special is Perfect Apple Juice! On the house for all Explorers!"

The Pokémon of the café drank the night away. As the Guildmaster hoped, Perfect Apple Juice was pleasure to the taste buds.

* * *

"Boy, am I going to have a hard time waking up tomorrow!" Pugno said in an excited tone as he settled into his bed.

"I know what you mean!" Pelame responded, just as excited, and still tasting Perfect Apple Juice. "I don't even remember when I last had so much fun! Let's at least try to get some sleep, though."

"Good night, Pelame."

"Good night, Pugno."

The two residents of Sharpedo Bluff were somehow able to fall asleep after all.

* * *

Despite all expectations, the residents of Treasure Town were all able to get to sleep. It was then that Team AWD took their chance.

"Got her," Arbok said, carrying an unconscious Blessing in his coils. "They'll have no choice now."

"Excellent," Weavile said. "The leader will certainly be proud of this. Let's get going."

Weavile opened a Dimensional Hole and led her team into it.

* * *

Blessing awakened to find herself tied to what appeared to be a theatre seat. Her mouth was sealed shut with a Rawst Scarf that was remade into a makeshift gag. Her three captors entered the room. Weavile removed the Rawst Scarf from Blessing's mouth.

"I've heard a lot about you, little girl. Now, you're going to tell me everything."

* * *

Suggested Music for this chapter:

Setting Up A Prank – Critter Tripper Fritter! (Final Fantasy V)

Manaphy's Undersea Kingdom – Underwater Exploration (Super Mario Sunshine)

Loudred Gets Yelled At – What's Wrong with Everyone (PMD – Gates to Infinity)

Chatot's Speech – Coin Song (Final Fantasy VI – sschafi's Remastered cover)

Blessing Abducted – Zetsubou (Digimon Adventure OST)


	3. Chapter 3 - The Grey Theatre, Part One

_On Team Space-Time's day off in observance of the Explorers' Holiday, Pelame and her four friends were invited into the ocean by an old friend named Manaphy. They toured his undersea kingdom, and returned in time to hear a heartfelt speech from Chatot about the work of Explorers. After a fun night, Blessing was unexpectedly spirited away while everyone slept. The familiar abductors are clearly up to something._

* * *

Chapter 3 – The Grey Theatre, Part One

* * *

"START TALKING!" Weavile shouted as Blessing dodged her Slash attack. It wasn't easy to maneuver, being tied to an auditorium chair. "QUIT KEEPING ME IN SUSPENSE!"

"Suspense?" Blessing taunted. "You think I'm trying to keep you in suspense? You're cute, despite disgracing the species I'll be evolving into sometime."

Weavile was getting livid. This hostage situation wasn't going as she had planned.

"With all due respect, Boss," Arbok said. "We should have expected some resistance."

"QUIET, you two!" Weavile barked, blasting Arbok and Drapion with a dark shot of some kind. "I _WILL _get this insubordinate little brat to talk!" She turned back to the restrained Blessing. "You hear me?! You will tell me EVERYTHING I'VE BEEN INSTRUCTED TO GET OUT OF YOU!"

"What was that?" Blessing asked. "I think you just made me go deaf from your angry shouting. You're really bad at your job. Whoever put you up to this should fire you on the spot. You're a liability to him or her." She turned to Arbok and Drapion. "Same goes for you two failures."

"Okay, Boss," Drapion said. "Let's just beat it out of her."

Weavile had already gotten in five Faint Attacks on Blessing by the time Drapion suggested his idea. "Way ahead of you," she said. "Help me out. This half-pint will talk if we have to smash her damn teeth into her head!"

"Gimme your best shot, dullards," Blessing taunted. "Against me, you might as well be dishing out False Swipes. I don't need to be untied to take you on."

Before any moves could be made, a door was heard opening.

"You two show the guests backstage," Weavile ordered of Arbok and Drapion. "Leave the brat to me." The two did as told. Instead of attacking, Weavile simply put the Rawst Scarf back over Blessing's mouth. "As you may know," she continued. "We're putting on a show tonight. We didn't appreciate hearing you refuse to come. We heard you as we were on our way out of town after dropping off that flyer."

_"Well, that explains why I stepped on it,"_ Blessing thought. _"Seems like this will be worth checking out after all, if only to foil whatever these simpletons are planning."_

"But with you in our clutches, there's no possible way your friends will say 'no.' They'll come looking for you, but they'll never find you. All they'll find is a grand performance. You, however, will be safely hidden from them. I'd kill you right now, but you've been keeping your mouth shut about what we need to know this whole time."

_"Heh, of course I am,"_ Blessing thought as she laughed through the scarf._ "And I kinda can't help that now with you using this Rawst Scarf as a makeshift gag on me."_

"You won't be laughing once we're all through with this, smart-alleck. And since we've disabled all your moves, including your Dark Blessing powers, you won't slip away from us." Weavile removed the entire seat from the row and took it backstage with Blessing still tied to it. She tied Blessing with another rope and slipped it under the ropes tying her to the chair, keeping her bound when the chair ropes were untied. She then tied her feet to each other and put her into an empty closet, which she then locked and put a prop dresser in front of.

"We'll be back to retrieve you after the show. Try not to die of boredom until then."

* * *

_"To Team Space-Time,  
Tonight at the Grey Theatre, we're putting on a grand show you won't want to miss. Enclosed are free admission passes for you and your friends, as well as a map to the venue. It's a one-night-only performance about you, so don't miss it!_

_Sincerely,  
The Grey Theatre Theatrical Troupe_

_P.S.—"_

"Why's the post-script written in different handwriting?" Pugno asked as Pelame was about to read it out to the Guild.

"Grey Theatre?" Dugtrio asked. "Didn't Blessing read out something having to do with that place?"

"YEAH, she DID," Loudred answered. "Apparently YOU were passing by. Now let Pelame READ the note!" Pelame then continued reading.

_"P.S.: The troupe is requesting your attendance, but we aren't. But it's up to you if you want to say 'no' to a demand. We don't care what happens to your dear friend Blessing, who happens to be in our clutches. If you don't want to enjoy the show, then come to free your friend. The choice is yours, meddlers!"_

"So, a rogue Pokémon abducted one of our own Guild members, did they?!" Chatot squawked. "We're going to that theatre! No one spirits away a trainee and gets away with it!"

"Just a moment," Grovyle said. "This sounds like an elaborate trap to me. I support your decision, but we'll have to keep our eyes peeled for anything suspicious."

"I agree with Grovie," Celebi added. "We don't want to give an edge to brute Pokémon."

"If I didn't know any better," Dusknoir added. "I'd say someone is trying to target Team Space-Time specifically. Since Blessing is a member of Team Space-Time, they must be planning a first strike by using her as the leverage."

"That makes perfect sense," Pugno asked. "It's like when Team Skull baited us to Amp Plains using a Water Float that belonged to Azumarill's sons. We ended up being attacked by a nomadic tribe of Electrike."

"If things go right for them and wrong for us," Pelame added. "We could end up in a situation worse than that moment. I don't know what these rogues are up to, but it has to be something major if they're singling us out."

"It's decided, then," Chatot announced. "We're going to the theatre tonight to rescue Blessing and foil whatever whoever is planning. They won't have their first strike if we have anything to say about it. We'll all go along to ensure extra security for Pelame and Pugno, and increase the odds of success at rescuing Blessing. Pelame, tickets please."

As soon as Pelame got out the tickets, she suddenly became dizzy. Everything went dark until a flash cut through her vision. To her disbelief, she had experienced a Dimensional Scream vision. Everyone was stunned, especially Pugno, Grovyle, Celebi, and Dusknoir.

"Pelame," Celebi started, managing to speak through her amazement. "Since when did you have the Dimensional Scream? I thought only Pugno had that ability!"

"I have no idea," Pelame said, being the most baffled of all about this development.

"Well, what was it you saw?" Pugno asked.

"It didn't make much sense," Pelame answered. "All I saw was a huge dark object of some sort moving really quickly through space. It looked like a comet. I didn't get too good a look at it before the vision ended, but that was what I saw."

"Don't know what can be made of that," Grovyle said. "We'll have to figure it out after we're done at the Grey Theatre." Grovyle took the ticket Pelame was handing him.

Once everyone had their tickets and marked their Wonder Maps according to the note, everything was set. "All right, everyone!" Chatot announced. "Time to mount our rescue mission!"

"HOORAY!"

* * *

"Now remember," Weavile said to the group of Ditto backstage. "This production is about the Pokémon who will be sitting in the front-row seats." She took them to the stage and showed them the seats reserved for Team Space-Time. "Entertain them to distract them from the plan. Understood?"

"Understood, Lady Weavile," the Ditto actor said.

"Hey, genius," Skuntank said, barging into the auditorium. "They're on their way. If you're sure the leader made the right choice stationing you for this job, then everything will be ready by now."

"Everything is," Weavile retorted. "Now get back to your post already." As soon as Skuntank left, Weavile heard a pounding sound coming from backstage. She went to where she had hidden Blessing, finding that the prop dresser had been jostled slightly as a result of Blessing repeatedly kicking the door from inside. She put the drawer back where it was.

"Wearing yourself down already, are you?" she taunted. "Pity you won't be able to see the show. Have a Playbill." She slid a playbill through the crack of the locked door. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do. Don't go anywhere."

_"'Don't go anywhere,' she says,"_ Blessing thought as she shouted muffled obscenities through the scarf gagging her. _"She's a humor thief, too, it seems."_

* * *

"Kinda SMALL for a theatre, isn't it?!" Loudred demanded of the Prinplup working as the theatre's ticket taker. He was clearly underwhelmed by how small the theatre turned out to be upon arriving with the group.

"It's more stage than building, sir," responded Prinplup. "Once you go in, all it is is concession stands, food booths, souvenir vendors, lavatories, and the back door leading to the outdoor stage. The backstage is another building entirely."

"An outdoor show?" Sunflora asked. "Oh my gosh! That's such a nice idea! A play under the stars!"

The group showed their tickets to Prinplup and entered the building. They all picked up playbills from the foyer. Inside the playbill was a map of the theatre and its surrounding areas.

"Prinplup was right," Pugno said. "This place_ is_ huge. We'll have to split the search party up."

"Great idea, Pugno," Pelame responded. "You and I will check all the seats in the front seating area." Pugno nodded in agreement. "Everyone else, where will you be going?"

"Grovyle and Celebi can help me search the entire foyer area," Dusknoir volunteered as Grovyle and Celebi agreed to the idea. "The Sableye can search the areas restricted to the general public."

"We're skilled in stealth, after all," the Sableye captain said. "They won't even know we crossed their lines."

"My son and I will check the VIP balcony seats," Dugtrio said. Diglett supported the notion.

"The Guildmaster and I will comb the upper-level seats," Chatot said. "If that's okay with you, of course, Guildmaster."

"Certainly," Guildmaster Wigglytuff responded. "I just hope we don't have to end up sitting there. Those seats are no fun at all."

"Well, there's a reason those seats are called the 'nosebleed section,'" Loudred said. "That said, Sunflora and I will check the backstage area."

"Oh my gosh!" Sunflora squeaked. "We can't go there! We'll get caught for sure!"

"Heh, let them TRY," Loudred boasted. "Besides, we'll be in and out of there in a FLASH!"

"The stage itself will be searched by Croagunk, Bidoof, and myself," Chimecho offered.

"I guess that leaves me to check the back seating area," Corphish said. "Hey! Hey! We can get to searching now, right?"

"Right," Pelame answered. "Meet back here when the play is about to start. While the play is on, the security could likely strengthen to a level that can overwhelm us, so this is our best chance. If we don't find Blessing now, we resume the search during the intermission, when security is sure to loosen up to give the actors and staff their breaks. Fail then, then we search again in the intermission after that. With three intermissions, we have a total of five chances to locate her. The first four chances being our safest: now, and the three intermissions."

"Then what's the fifth chance?" Chimecho asked.

"The fifth chance is after the play is over," Pelame answered. "That is when we'll just have to go for broke and risk taking on whoever came up with this plan, whatever it is. Hopefully, we'll find her before then."

"Sounds doable," Celebi said.

"All right. Let's go find Blessing!"

"HOOR—" Chatot suddenly hushed everyone. By his wing gestures, everyone inferred that to mean they should quiet down.

"Hooray!" everyone whispered.

* * *

From where she was stashed, Blessing could've sworn she had heard her friends getting interrupted as they were shouting "HOORAY!"

_"Weavile is gonna get her butt kicked,"_ Blessing thought. _"There's no way I'm letting them have _all_ the fun, though. Let me at her!"_

In one swift maneuver, Blessing got to her feet. She managed to keep her balance as she hopped over to the door. Being tall enough to reach the doorknob, she crouched down and stuck her head-feather into the lock. She froze when she heard footsteps approaching.

"Ooh! What a cute dresser!" said someone Blessing instantly recognized as Sunflora. She resumed picking the lock. It was to no avail as her head-feather was too short to reach the locking mechanism.

"We don't have time to admire decorations," Loudred said, trying to keep as quiet as possible. Blessing, on the other hand, decided to go for broke by shouting as loud as she could to get Loudred and Sunflora's attention. Being gagged by a Rawst Scarf made the attempt unsuccessful.

_"Well, I told him before that he does a lot of talking without listening,"_ Blessing grumbled in her mind. _"He's getting a punch from me when I get out of here."_ She carefully maneuvered herself to try using her tail to pick the lock, as her tail feathers were longer than her short head-feather.

"HEY! Sunflora, there's a door behind your dresser!" Loudred shouted. He moved the dresser aside and looked in the keyhole.

_"Well, I take back that 'talking without listening' remark,"_ Blessing thought with great relief. It wasn't easy standing on her head, but she soon inserted her middle tail feather into the lock. The timing of this action was very inopportune, as her tail poked Loudred straight in his left eye.

"WHY YOU LITTLE—" Loudred shouted in pain. He charged at the door and broke it off its hinges, unintentionally bringing the door down on top of Blessing with a punch aimed at the doorknob. It was no Mega Punch, but it had power to it. "Try that trick again, you smarta—" Loudred cut himself off when he uncovered Blessing, who looked hurt. A round bruise was left on her rear end, from where the doorknob slammed into her thanks to him. She glared at him and shouted a muffled insult.

"Oh my gosh, you found Blessing!" Sunflora squeaked as she entered the closet. With carefully-focused Razor Leaves, Sunflora tried to slice the ropes keeping Blessing bound. As Demon-type creations could resist anything, Sunflora's attempt was fruitless. Loudred at least was able to remove the Rawst Scarf from Blessing's mouth.

"Thanks Loudred, for breaking my tailbone!" Blessing reprimanded. "I'm billing you for this! But thanks for saving me, though."

"Well, you're paying for EYEDROPS I'll have to get for taking a tail feather to the eye!" Loudred retorted. "Why didn't you use your head-feather?!"

"Easy," Blessing responded. "I'm a girl."

"Point taken," Loudred answered.

"Good work, Loudred," Pugno said, having entered the backstage area with Pelame and Sunflora in tow. Pugno gave Blessing a Max Elixir to restore her Move usage, and Pelame broke the ropes with a carefully aimed Crunch attack.

"And thanks, Sunflora, for letting us know," Pelame added after she freed Blessing. "We should get out of here before we get caught. Loudred, you carry Blessing."

Loudred begrudgingly did as told. They all bumped into a Sneasel who looked exactly like Blessing, all the way down to the nearly pitch-black skin. The other Sneasel looked as though she was about to sound an alarm, but she was quickly stopped.

"Aura Sphere!" Pugno shouted, landing a direct hit. Blessing used her strange power to lift the ropes that were binding her earlier and tied up the other Sneasel.

"Nice try, Ditto," Blessing taunted. "Still!" The Ditto masquerading as Blessing was instantly paralyzed, preventing her from turning back to her true gooey form. She was then gagged with the same Rawst Scarf that had earlier prevented Blessing from speaking. As a final touch, Loudred put the door back to normal, shut it, and then locked it. Pelame and Pugno then pushed the prop dresser in front of the door to keep it shut. "Now, don't you go anywhere!" Blessing taunted.

_"Welcome to the world of Pokémon!"_ a voice suddenly announced, signaling the start of the play.

"Leave this to me!" Blessing said. She opened a small Dimensional Hole underneath everyone, putting them in their theatre seats. "Ow! I really needed to feel that!" she shouted, having landed firmly on her injured rear.

"Hey, hey! You already found Blessing!" Corphish said. "That was fast."

"Is she hurt?" Grovyle asked. "I heard her yelp as soon as she landed in her seat."

"Speaking of seats," Loudred answered. "I kinda may have accidentally broke hers. Someone may want to go get something to relieve the pain."

"Heal Bell," Celebi said, using her healing power on Blessing. "All better?"

Blessing tried to stand up, but it pained her to try. "Nothing doing," she answered. "I guess you can't heal skeletal injuries."

_"—met a young boy who had mysteriously transformed into a Riolu! The young Riolu meets an ambitious young Eevee—"_

"I'll go get something for Blessing," Pelame said, getting up out of her seat and reentering the concession area.

"Bring back some FOOD too, will ya?!" Loudred demanded. Everyone's attention was then finally focused on the play.

_"Now, join us! A whole world of mystery and exploration awaits!"_

_(The Narrating Noctowl exits stage right. The lights dim, and then, a sudden flash of light.)_

_?: Whoa! Wh-wh-whoa…! Are…are you okay?!_

_?: No! Don't let go! Just a little longer… Come on! Hang on!_

_?: N-n-no! I can't… hold on…!_

_? and ?: Waaaaaaaaaaaaah!_

* * *

"I hope the others had better luck," said a Sableye soldier who was just leaving the employee break room.

"Hey, where is everyone?" asked the captain Sableye. "It sounds like the play started already. We'll have to wait for the intermission to resume our search. For now, we—"

"Whoa, Pelame!" said a Sableye who she almost knocked over in her hurry. "Running a marathon?"

"Blessing needs bandages," Pelame answered. "We found her stashed backstage, and Loudred broke her tailbone by accident while rescuing her."

"Wow, how clumsy of him," a Sableye responded. "Here's the Employee Break Room's First Aid Kit."

"This will do just fine," Pelame answered, relieved. "Let's take it to her."

"All right, I got the food for everyone," said a Sableye whose arms were full of food. "We ready to go report to Lord Dusknoir?"

"Yep, but we don't need to worry about Blessing any longer," answered the captain. "Loudred found her."

* * *

"Well, at least your Heal Bell could pass for a painkiller," Blessing whispered to Celebi.

At that moment, Pelame entered with the Sableye soldiers.

"Yummy! Dibs on the White Gummis!" Loudred said, catching sight of the copious amount of food in the arms of one of the soldiers.

"Here you go," said a Sableye, wrapping bandages on Blessing's rear end. Another soldier ripped a cushion out of another seat and hollowed out a hole in the middle. Another soldier lifted Blessing out of her seat to make room for the hollowed-out cushion, then put her back in her new seat. The soldiers settled into the row behind them, the captain taking the seat that lost its cushion.

"Are you comfortable, Blessing?" Pelame asked.

"Apart from feeling like I'm trapped in a toilet, yes," Blessing said. "By the way, you missed basically everything from the beginning. You and Pugno are about to join the Guild."

* * *

_Pelame: Oh? Our Team's name? We didn't think of that. So what do you think would be a good name for us, Pugno?_

_Pugno: You didn't even think of a Team name? Sheesh, I hope you're not going to become a handicap I constantly have to carry around._

* * *

Pugno shrunk into his chair as Pelame glanced at him with an annoyed look on her face.

* * *

_Pugno: How about Team Poképals? Since we're going to be making a few while training?_

_Pelame: That sounds great, Pugno! Then that's our Team name. It's a good name! It suits us!_

_(Pelame turned to face the Guildmaster.)_

_Pelame: Team Poképals is our Team name, sir!_

_Guildmaster Wigglytuff: All settled, then! I'll register your Team as Poképals._

_(The Guildmaster registered the new Team.)_

_GW: All registered! YOOM…TAH!_

_(A Hyper Voice signaled the finalization of the registration process.)_

* * *

"You weren't originally called Team Space-Time?" Grovyle asked.

"Nope, we weren't," Pugno answered. "I had almost forgotten about that."

"I recall when they changed the Team's name," Dusknoir said. "I suppose we'll be seeing that on the stage."

"Yeah, that was quite a day," Pelame added. "To think I'll be reliving it in the form of entertainment, as well as a ton of other—" At that moment, Pelame came to a dreadful thought. "Oooohhhhhh dear."

"What's wrong, Pelame?" Pugno asked.

Pelame simply pointed to Grovyle and Dusknoir.

"Is there a problem?" Dusknoir asked.

"Well, let's just keep it simple," Pelame answered. She opened her playbill. "You two aren't going to like Act Two. And Dusknoir, let's just say the rest of the play will bring back bad memories."

"Hey, speaking of the rest of the play," Pugno added. "Why does it end after Temporal Tower?"

* * *

The play had reached a particularly unpleasant spot.

"Chatot? Where are you going?" asked the Guildmaster.

"Oh… I just need some fresh air," Chatot answered.

"We're outside. You can get fresh air here."

"Yeah. But I… I need a break. I'll be back." Chatot left on that note.

* * *

_Chatot (in complete panic): Whaaaat? You failed?! Are you serious? Oh no! What am I going to do?! Seriously! What am I to do?!_

_Pelame (timidly): There was nothing we could do. You see, Skuntank and his…_

_Chatot (practically screaming): QUIET! I don't want to hear any excuses! You leave me no choice. For the time being, you'll go without dinner tonight!_

_Pelame (shocked): What?! B…but we…_

_Chatot: You failed to complete an important job! Your punishment could be much more severe! I don't want to hear anything from you! (Chatot turned away from Pelame and Pugno) You've saddled me with this terrible task! I've got to report this to the Guildmaster now! Upon my report, the Guildmaster is sure to… Waaaaaaaaah! (He turned back to Team Poképals) I will report this to the Guildmaster after dinner. You two will come with me when I do so. If I had to face the Guildmaster's wrath all by myself, well, that would hardly be fair. Therefore, you two will come with me! That's an order!_

* * *

"Ouch," Celebi said. "That's harsh."

"Hey, where did Chatot go?" Chimecho asked.

* * *

From backstage, observations were being made.

"Perfect," said Weavile. "Full house, as scheduled. The targets have taken the bait. The intermission is about to start."

"That's our cue, right?" Skuntank asked.

"Yes," Weavile answered. "Lock the theatre down. Make sure no one leaves."

"Consider it done, Lady Weavile." Skuntank and the rest of Team Skull and Team AWD were off to do their duty.

"Those fools make our job too easy," Weavile couldn't resist quipping to herself.

* * *

**Suggested music for this chapter:**

**Grey Theatre – Spinach Rag Opera House (Final Fantasy VI)**

**Beginning of the Play – Explorers of Time and Darkness Anime Special Opening Theme**

**Registering the Team Name – Guildmaster Wigglytuff (PMDEoT/D/S)**

**Grey Theatre Lockdown – Unrest (Full Metal Alchemist 2003 Anime OST)**


	4. Chapter 4 - The Grey Theatre, Part Two

_In the last adventure, Team Space-Time and friends traveled to the Grey Theatre, where a play about Team Space-Time's adventures was to be performed. They quickly located Blessing and brought her to safety, just in time for the play. The play has entered its first intermission, at which point Teams AWD and Skull moved on with their mysterious plan._

* * *

Chapter 4 – The Grey Theatre, Part Two

* * *

"So far, so good," Pelame said to Chatot, whom they had located in the lobby. "It's been an entertaining watch so far. I had almost forgotten that this whole thing is a trap of some sort."

"To tell the truth," Pugno confessed. "I haven't seen anything suspicious yet. I mean, it's a bit uncanny that these actors are repeating verbatim what was actually said when those events actually happened to us. It's like they were there, but I don't think that has anything to do with some thug's plan."

"Well, that's a relief," Chatot said. "But, now that you two are here, may I ask you something?"

"Sure, ask away," Pelame said.

Chatot took a deep breath and looked at Pelame and Pugno with sadness in his eyes. "Do either of you two… resent me at all?"

Pelame and Pugno were taken aback by this question. Chatot was a dear friend of theirs; how could they possibly feel any resentment toward him?

"Sorry to answer your question with a question, but _how did you get that idea in your head_?" Pelame asked incredulously.

"You didn't need a play to remind you of…" Chatot said, unable to bring himself to finish his sentence.

"Wait, this is about the Perfect Apples incident, isn't it?" Pugno asked, which Chatot's body language (which implied pain) confirmed.

"Chatot, that was three-and-a-half years ago," Pelame said. "We still got to go on the Expedition, didn't we? We still solved the mystery of Fogbound Lake, right? And we made a new friend in Uxie, remember?"

"That's true…"

"Even if Pugno and I weren't chosen, we wouldn't have held that against you forever. We would have forgiven you regardless. Besides that, we have ever since the trip back from the Lake. We could never hate you over something like the incident with the Perfect Apples!"

"Pelame's right," Pugno added. "It's always been a joy working at the Guild. Working with you, Loudred, Sunflora, Bidoof, and the rest were some of the best times of our lives. And even if we had an iota of resentment toward you for that incident, what you did in the Brine Cave would have more than made up for it."

"You saved our lives at that moment. Only a friend would have done that. A real friend."

Taking in every word Pelame and Pugno had to say on the matter made Chatot feel moved. "Come to think of it, I was the one you came to for advice on Manaphy."

"Exactly," Pelame said. "Trust is a must."

"Then…" Without another word, Chatot embraced the two Pokémon standing before him. "I have no idea what I was so worried about. You two really are incredible. I'm sorry I ever doubted you."

"HEY! YOU WANNA MISS THE REST OF THE PLAY?!" Loudred demanded upon catching up to the three conversing Pokémon. "Get GOING! The intermission's OVER!"

"Be there in a sec," Pugno answered. He then turned back to Chatot. "Let's join the others. They've been waiting for you."

"I understand," Chatot responded. "Let's not miss any more of this play. And remember to keep an eye out for suspicious activity. This is a trap, after all."

"Understood," Pelame answered.

* * *

"Everyone ready to continue?" asked Weavile of the actors.

"Yes we are," answered a Ditto who transformed into Pelame. "On your signal, Lady Weavile."

"Just a moment," Weavile said. "Have we got the leverage?"

"Right here!"

A Ditto taking on Grovyle's form entered the backstage area carrying a bound and gagged Blessing.

"Leave her to me. The rest of you, take center stage and continue the performance. With the theatre locked down by the power the Leader lent us, no one is leaving. We have no fear of losing our target now. Now, continue the play."

"Yes, milady," responded the Ditto actors after transforming into their respective roles. The actors took center stage on Weavile's signal, as Weavile dragged the trussed-up Blessing further backstage.

* * *

"Dusknoir, you sure this isn't going to bother you at all?" Celebi asked. "You know what part of the story the play is at, after all."

"The past is finished, Celebi," Dusknoir answered. "It no longer concerns me."

"We've all made mistakes," Grovyle added. "By now, we've made up for them."

* * *

_(Pelame, Pugno, and Dusknoir are at the Treasure Town beach, discussing Pugno._

_Dusknoir: I see… so you found our friend unconscious right here._

_Pelame: Yes, right here exactly._

_Dusknoir: Then you regained consciousness. Though you'd lost your memory._

_Pugno: Yes. All I could remember was my name._

_Pelame: And that he was a human before this._

_Dusknoir (shocked): I beg your pardon?! H-human?! (He took another look at Pugno) But our friend here seems to be a Pokémon in every obvious way!_

_Pelame: That's true. I guess this is even beyond the great Dusknoir's understanding. But we're certain that something caused my partner's memory loss…and caused the transformation from human to Pokémon!_

_Dusknoir (pondering): A human… with the Dimensional Scream ability… You said you know your name, at least?_

_Pugno: Yes. I've never forgotten that my name is Pugno._

_Dusknoir: I see. So, you're Pugno._

_Pelame: Does that name mean anything to you?_

_Dusknoir: …No. It means nothing to me, unfortunately._

_Pugno: Dusknoir, sir. Are you… wait. Sorry, sir. I thought I saw you smile faintly._

_Dusknoir: I am sincerely sorry I couldn't help you with that… However… I do know about the ability that Pugno possesses._

* * *

"That smile of Dusknoir's was suspicious, now that I think about it," Pugno said. "He ignored what I said about it completely, and I guess it worked to his advantage, since we never knew about…" Pugno purposely trailed off so as not to upset Dusknoir, who wouldn't have been upset anyway.

"You were all pretty naïve back then," Blessing said. "Complete idiots, even."

"HEY! Shut up!" Loudred said, lightly punching Blessing in the shoulder. It was a light punch, but it caused her to fall out of her seat. Blessing got up and dusted herself off.

"Hey, how does it not hurt you to stand up?" Celebi asked.

"Just a moment," Pugno said. "Where's your Team Badge?"

Pelame then caught on to something that was missed until now. "IMPOSTER!" she screamed. She tackled the Pokémon to the ground. "Where is Blessing?!" she demanded.

"Lethargy!" shouted the imposter.

"Confuse Ray!" shouted Dusknoir, confusing the Blessing imposter before she could inflict Lethargy on Pelame. The imposter broke away from Pelame and ran for it, but her confusion caused her to run straight into a seat to her left. At that point, Grovyle pinned her to the seat.

"Where is she?!" he demanded. "Where are you keeping Blessing?!"

"Idiot!" shouted the imposter. "What makes you think I'll just tell you? Besides, Weavile has given her what she deserves, anyway."

* * *

"Gotta give you credit, you little interloper," Weavile said. "You're quite a bit of trouble. But your friends can't save you now."

"You think I can't save myself?" Blessing said, having burned the Rawst Scarf gagging her using fire from her breath. "Looks like you overlooked my moves." She then burned the ropes tying her.

"Heart Stopper!" Weavile shouted as she attempted to strike Blessing with lightning. Blessing easily dodged it by teleporting. "Don't think that just because you somehow ended up with the Dark Blessing that you stand a chance against me!"

"I don't need it to beat you!" Blessing retorted. "And thanks for letting me know what this power is called. Diabolic Inferno!" Blessing levitated as quickly as she could from the backstage area after trapping Weavile with dark fire.

* * *

Team Space-Time and crew dispersed to the lobby as soon as the real Blessing caught up to them. However, something prevented them from leaving.

"Leaving so soon?"

Weavile caught up in no time. She was flanked by Arbok and Drapion, who were followed by Team Skull.

"Aren't you going to see the rest of the show?" Skuntank asked. "We're about to get to the best part."

"You're right, Skuntank," Pugno said. "We've gotten there already."

"The best part," Pelame added. "The part where we foil your plan. Iron Tail!" Pelame rushed to attack Skuntank with her attack, which was blocked by the Ditto actor taking on Pelame's form.

"Foil our plan?" Weavile asked. "Sorry, but we've already succeeded."

Pelame was suddenly attacked by Grovyle.

"All of the other darling spectators of the troupe's performance have already joined us," Weavile explained. "But that's just the beginning. Grovyle is who we were really after, and now, thanks to you, he's in our clutches." She turned back to the Ditto taking on Dusknoir's form, who had Grovyle restrained. "Toss him in."

"Understood, Lady Weavile," said the actor Dusknoir as he traveled through a Dimensional Hole Weavile opened. It closed before anyone could give chase.

"Quite a fine actor this one is, huh?" Weavile taunted, patting the imposter Blessing on the head. "Her place-switch technique really saved our plan. Switching herself with the real Blessing was cunning enough, but switching the real Grovyle with the actor Grovyle just as things heated up was a stroke of evil genius. Grovyle is ours now."

"Why you…!" Pelame shouted as she got ready to attack.

"Lethargy!" Weavile shouted, afflicting everyone with the attack before anyone could act. "Now, we can cut you loose ends off." She opened a Dimensional Hole and went up to it, not entering yet. "Bring the place down. Follow me through this hole once it starts collapsing." With that Weavile left.

With Team Space-Time and friends afflicted with every known status ailment, they were utterly helpless.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do this to you," Skuntank taunted. On his signal, the crowd of Pokémon possessed by the mysterious "Dark Blessing" shot energy attacks everywhere, damaging the foundation and supports of the theatre. "Nice knowing you losers!" Skuntank and the crowd went through the Dimensional Hole and closed it, leaving Team Space-Time and friends behind in the collapsing theatre.

* * *

**Suggested music for this chapter:**

**Reassuring Chatot – La Pace (Kingdom Hearts – Re:Chain of Memories)**

**The Grey Theatre's Jig is Up – Shitou (Digimon Adventure OST)**

**Grey Theatre Troupe's Departure and Grey Theatre's Collapse – Fortify (Full Metal Alchemist 2003 Anime OST)**


	5. Chapter 5 - Pitch Black Nightmare

_In Team Space-Time's last adventure, the trap in the Grey Theatre was revealed. A gang led by Team AWD's Weavile absconded with Grovyle, leaving Team Space-Time and their friends behind as the Grey Theatre collapsed. What is to become of Grovyle?_

* * *

Chapter 5 – Pitch Black Nightmare

* * *

Even though Grovyle's eyes were open, everything was completely dark. He was also unable to move, though that was the least of his worries. He hoped his friends got away from the Grey Theatre alive. Last he saw of them, they were left in the theatre lobby as it collapsed. As soon as his thoughts silenced themselves, he could hear someone talking.

"We've retrieved him," said the voice Grovyle knew was Weavile's. "We'll set everything up, sir."

Before he could listen any further, he felt something kick him in the head, knocking him out instantly.

* * *

Weavile's claws were in his face when he came to. Dark ice bound Grovyle's arms to the wall behind him, and his legs to the floor.

"Good morning," Weavile taunted. "Did you have a good sleep? I hope so, because this will be the last night you have such a good rest."

Even though he was bound by ice that he was weak against due to his Grass-typing, he made a futile attempt to lunge at Weavile. "What have you done to my friends?!" he demanded.

"Your friends? Why worry about them?"

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

"Calm down. Don't stress yourself out. The Leader needs you to be in top shape, so shut up."

Deciding that words weren't having any effect on Weavile, Grovyle launched a Bullet Seed attack at her. Weavile was quick to counter it by catching every seed and throwing them back at him. She finished by freezing Grovyle's mouth shut.

"Bold one, aren't you, _Grovie_?" Weavile asked as obnoxiously as she could. "The Leader is on his way to meet you, so stay quiet until he arrives."

Weavile pried the ice from the wall and the floor, allowing her to drag Grovyle to the next room. A circle of Pokémon were in the next room, looking as though they had been waiting for him and their mysterious "leader." In the circle, Grovyle saw many familiar Pokémon. The Grey Theatre was small, so the entire audience was in the circle: Grovyle identified an Alakazam, a Togetic, a Gabite, a Raticate, a Vileplume, a Noctowl, the entire Ditto troupe acting on stage earlier, an Ariados, a Spiritomb, an Aggron, an Arbok (different from Weavile's teammate), a Magcargo, a Magmortar, a Mismagius, a Rhyperior, the members of Team Skull and the other two members of Team AWD. Weavile then joined the circle. From her spot, she thawed the ice keeping Grovyle rooted to the spot and silenced. A mysterious power forced him to stand up.

"Welcome, Grovyle," said Raticate.

"We've been expecting you," said Ariados.

"Remember, everyone," Weavile said, addressing the circle of Pokémon. "He is not to be allowed to escape the circle. He is to stay within that rune." She pointed to the floor, where there was a circle. In the middle of the circle was a snowflake-shaped sigil. "We are to keep him here until the Leader arrives. At that point, the Leader will deal with him."

"Understood," said the other Pokémon in the circle.

"I'd like to see all of you try to keep me here," Grovyle said confidently. "Your 'leader' will be disappointed in you."

"Ooh, sounds like he's challenging us," Skuntank said. "We're free to kick him around right, Lady Weavile?"

Skuntank was the first to be attacked by a sudden Leaf Blade. Unfortunately, Grovyle's offensive didn't get too far before the other Pokémon launched attacks at him.

"Yes, we can beat him up now," Weavile said with mild frustration in her voice. "Let me get the first hit in. None of you are hitting your mark."

Grovyle had dodged every attack thus far, until Weavile jumped into the fray and got him in the back with a Hyper Beam magnified by a strange dark power. Though it was a normal-type move, it felt as though it were super effective against him. As soon as he collapsed, she hit him with a Shadow Claw attack.

"Okay, your turn now," Weavile commanded. "I've softened him up for you."

Grovyle exposed that as a lie, as he was able to dodge the attacks coming from the other Pokémon. Even Weavile started to have trouble keeping up.

"A Demon-type Hyper Beam and a Demon-type Shadow Claw weren't enough to keep you down, I see," taunted Weavile. "Demon-type is super effective against all types, and it's such a joy to see how much pain you suffer from my attacks of that type!"

"It's doing you no good now!" Grovyle retorted as he pelted her with an Energy Ball. "Falling back on a made-up type is a cheap way to fight."

"Cheap? I'd say it's pragmatic!" Her Shadow Claw was blocked by Grovyle's Leaf Blade. He then blasted her face with a hail of Bullet Seeds, which he then turned on the other Pokémon. He saw a chance to escape and took it.

"STOP HIM!" Weavile screamed. "SOMEONE STOP HIM! **_HE WILL NOT ESCAPE_**!"

Grovyle was suddenly stopped by a mysterious power that made him unable to use his moves, and also immobilized him.

"That will do."

Grovyle was dragged back into the circle as soon as the unfamiliar voice spoke.

"But my top soldier Weavile is right; you will not escape."

The Pokémon forming the circle bowed immediately to the voice.

"Weavile, I congratulate you for capturing my target. I was right to give you the Grey Theatre mission. But you could have done a better job keeping our guest detained."

"My apologies, sir," Weavile said, sounding afraid. "But we've taken care of the other meddlers. Once Grovyle is dealt with, we'll have no further threats to the plan."

"Excellent. Then you don't need to be apologetic to me. You—"

"Who are you?!" Grovyle demanded. "What have you done to my friends?!" In a sudden movement, Grovyle snatched up Weavile. He had attempted to hold a Leaf Blade up to her neck, but he had lost the use of his moves. Realizing this, Grovyle put his left hand on her chin and his right hand on her head. "Tell me now, or I'll break her neck!" The other Pokémon in the circle got ready to make a move, but Grovyle held Weavile up in front of him, effectively using her as a shield. Weavile looked unimpressed.

"Nobody move," she ordered.

"TELL ME NOW!" Grovyle roared. He never got his answer. Instead, a Poison Jab hit him in the stomach, right on the green stripe on his belly. Weavile had taken advantage of the fact that Grovyle hadn't incapacitated the use of her arms, and used that moment to poison him. She then froze him to the floor with an Ice Beam magnified by her mysterious Demon-typing.

"Well, Grovyle, you've given me leverage. It's very far from your character to kill, or even try to. But that works out well for me. The Dark Blessing is going to enjoy you."

Weavile got back to bowing, as the enigmatic 'leader' appeared at last. The 'leader' was a pitch-black entity with a white plume coming out of his head. He had one visible blue eye, the other eye being covered by the white plume. A red necklace of what incompletely resembled fangs sat upon his collar. He floated, making it a bit strange that he had what appeared to be legs on his lower section. His shoulders had black tendril-like extensions to them. In the dark room, he was nearly invisible, but everyone was able to see him clearly, having been used to the dark.

"It knows how much trouble you are, just like I do," said the 'leader.' "It can't afford to keep you around. And I'm personally getting sick of you myself. Ever since you and Pugno met in the future, you were nothing but trouble to me."

Grovyle had the energy to ask, "How do you know Pugno and I?"

"Because you two sabotaged my plans for Temporal Tower."

Grovyle then remembered something about living in the paralyzed future.

"When I first made plans to save the world from Paralysis," he recalled. "Someone was following me, trying to stop me. Are you saying that was you?"

"It was," confirmed the 'leader.' "I, Darkrai, wasn't going to let you undo my work. I wasn't going to let you return light to the world, not to a world destined to fall to darkness! Pugno had interfered one last time before I lost track of him. If it wasn't for him, I would have killed you during your trip back in time. Pugno somehow avoided dying, but he became a Riolu. The transformation and the amnesia would have kept him out of my way if it weren't for that meddling brat Pelame. Thankfully, I've finally had them taken care of. So now, that just leaves you to deal with." Darkrai approached Grovyle and hovered over him. "And with you gone, no one will oppose me ever again."

Grovyle was absolutely livid to hear that his friends had been "dealt with." Summoning a hidden reserve of strength, he broke out of the ice freezing him to the ground.

"Sir, be careful!" Weavile advised. "Grovyle's Overgrow ability is going to be dangerous to you! Let me help you take him out!"

"Stand aside, Weavile!" Darkrai ordered. "His abilities don't scare me."

"They will," Grovyle said. He found that he had regained the use of his moves as he sliced at Darkrai with a Leaf Blade, scoring a direct hit on the fiend. Darkrai responded with a Dark Pulse that was magnified with Demon-type power. Grovyle was hit directly, giving Darkrai the chance to ruthlessly pelt him with a shower of Demon-type energy orbs. Grovyle couldn't move.

"Nothing to worry about," Darkrai taunted. "Grovyle, you see now how much stronger I have become? I owe it to the Dark Blessing. It gives me the power to triumph over anyone, no matter the type. No matter what type my opponent is, my new Demon-typing puts me at the advantage, and all others unable to deal any lasting damage to me. Before, I could only hide from you and your heroic brethren. But now, I can show myself to the world as I conquer it. I am no longer restricted to the subtle approach to world conquest, which was always doomed to begin with; I can now take the world by force. And with you and your friends gone, there's no possible way for me to fail. Face it, Grovyle; you have lost irrevocably."

Despite what Darkrai thought he had ensured, Grovyle wasn't down for the count. He had used Darkrai's monologue to make a hole in the tapestry covering a nearby window with his Bullet Seed attack, acting too quickly to be stopped by the observant minions.

"No, I haven't," Grovyle declared. "You may have defeated my friends and took them away from me, but there will always be a fighting chance. I will continue to resist you, and I won't stop until you're dead. And even if I should fail, there will be others to resist you, and take the world back from you. But as I am living and breathing now, I will do what I can to protect the world. No matter what happens,…" Grovyle exuded an aura that glowed a greenish-gold. He had gathered enough sunlight energy to generate a final attack. The leaf on his head glowed the same color, and pointed at Darkrai. "…you will never claim the world! SOLARBEAM!"

Grovyle unleashed his new attack from the leaf on his head, blasting Darkrai almost point-blank with it. As soon as the light faded, everyone saw as Darkrai was on the ground, defeated. His supporters didn't look worried at all about their leader's loss, and a cold sensation told Grovyle why. From the ground, Darkrai started speaking.

"Grovyle," Darkrai said. "You've become much stupider than I remember you being. I'm loathe to admit it, but you are stronger than I am, at the moment. But you're certainly not smarter. I thought you knew that cunning is what wins most battles."

A mass of Demon ice was starting to envelop Grovyle. "Wh…what is…?" he asked, horrified.

"You are stronger than me, and that's all I needed to truly win this fight. The Dark Blessing has entered you completely."

"How? When did…you…?" Grovyle was already frozen up to his chest now, and fatigue was setting in.

"For every single attack you dealt damage to me with, the Dark Blessing got further and further into you. It made first contact upon your Leaf Blade attack upon me that started our match. And for every hit I got in, same effect. And as soon as you finished me off, the Blessing finished assimilating into you."

"What…is it…going to…?" Grovyle's shoulders were now frozen.

"Thanks to your own heroic delusions, the Dark Blessing has successfully infiltrated your body, your heart, your mind, and your very soul. Your spirit, as they say. Put simply, it has seen fit to deal with you itself. You are now its newest prey. You will exist no more. Despite your rousing speech, you failed the whole world. I bid you good night, my former enemy. May you never bother me again."

"_Pugno…Pelame…"_ When the dark ice covered Grovyle completely, he thought no more.

* * *

**Suggested music for this chapter:**

**The Leader's Plan for Grovyle – Holy Nightmare Co. (Kirby of the Stars Anime OST)**

**Grovyle's Solarbeam – Yuukan ni Tachimukazu zo! (Digimon Adventure 02 OST)**

**The Dark Blessing Takes Grovyle – Fifth Laboratory (Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood OST)**


	6. Chapter 6 - Team Temperature

_In the last adventure, Grovyle had been taken to an unknown area of the world by servants of a mysterious thug. The fiend turned out to be Darkrai, an old enemy of Team Space-Time's. After an intense struggle between the two, the "Dark Blessing" assimilated into Grovyle, and has dealt with him. Generally, things look completely hopeless, unless…_

* * *

Chapter 6 – Team Temperature

* * *

"EEEEEK!" Sunflora squealed, waking everyone up. As if on cue, every Guild member except the handicapped Blessing rushed to Sunflora's Crew Room.

"What's wrong?" Pelame asked. "Are you okay?"

"MY JOURNAL!" Sunflora screamed. "WHO DID IT?!" She glared at Loudred. "Why would you…?!"

"WHAT?!" Loudred defended. "I've never READ your dumb journal! I RESPECT privacy!"

"Suuuuure you do," taunted Blessing, who levitated into the room.

"No, REALLY, I do!" Loudred continued. "I've never read someone's journal!"

"Now, just a moment!" Chatot said. "Sunflora, what exactly happened to your journal?"

"Actually, it hasn't been damaged," Sunflora admitted. "So, it couldn't have been anyone here who did it. After all, who here can make an entire year's worth of journal entries completely vanish?'

"Why, that happened to my journal, too!" Bidoof added. "Golly, I know I wrote in it last year when… um… it was when…"

"What? Was there something happening last year?" Sunflora asked. "I remember writing in my journal, too, but I don't know what it was about. It's all a big blank."

"I've been blanking on last year's events, too," Blessing admitted. "I mean, I can remember the usual stuff like what missions I did and when, and I can also remember that my older sister Loyal died, but there are blank spots in my memory. I can't remember how Loyal died, I can't remember where I got my power from, none of that."

"Me neither," Celebi said.

"I'm not recalling anything about it, either," Dusknoir added. "And neither am I remembering anything about the Hidden Land disappearing. As with your cases, I remember the Hidden Land had disappeared. As for the cause, it's a gap in my memory. When I attempt to remember it, my memory simply skips it completely."

"Something happened last year," Pugno said. "Something important. And someone must not want us to remember it."

"Pugno, what are you saying?" Pelame asked. "Some Pokémon could be behind this?"

"It's just a theory," Pugno clarified. "But considering the Pokémon at the Grey Theatre yesterday, and their actions, that seems to be the most likely explanation."

"Oh, yes, that reminds me," Chimecho said. "How did we survive the Theatre collapsing on top of us?"

"That was our doing."

No one recognized the voice that made the announcement from atop the Guild's Entry Grate. The Guild crew reported outside to meet their mysterious rescuers. When they got outside, they were greeted by a pair of Infernape, one male and the other female.

"Pleasure to meet you all," said the male Infernape. "You can call me Fahrenheit. And this is my wife Celsius."

"Wait," Chatot said. "Did you say Fahrenheit and Celsius?" The two nodded. Chatot immediately shook their hands. "Everyone, meet Team Temperature, the famous criminal reformers!"

"And you three," Celsius said, looking at Pelame, Pugno, and the levitating Blessing. "You must be Team Space-Time. We're honored to meet you."

"Pleasure to meet you, too," Pelame responded. "And thanks for saving us."

"Actually, the one you should thank is our son for letting us know," Fahrenheit said. "He observed the fiendish Weavile talking with her cohorts about it, and then told us about it."

A Monferno stepped forward to greet Team Space-Time. When he saw Blessing, he did a double-take. Blessing reacted in much the same way, falling to the ground from her levitation spot in shock, and doubling over in pain from landing on her damaged rear.

"I remember you!" they both shouted in unison. Blessing resumed her levitating position after Celebi numbed the pain with her Heal Bell.

"You saved me from those thugs at the Beach Cave back when I was a Chimchar!"

"I saved you from Team Skull at the Beach Cave back when you were a Chimchar!"

Both of those excited statements came in unison.

"Well, I told you I'd return the favor," Monferno said confidently.

"And you certainly did," Blessing admitted. "Thanks."

"Yes, we owe our new friend our lives," Guildmaster Wigglytuff said.

"Pardon my ignorance," Pelame said. "But you two said you work in criminal reform. Could you tell us what that entails?"

"Certainly," Fahrenheit answered. "It's always a pleasure to share our line of work with others. We'll talk inside, if we may."

"Yes, you may," said the Guildmaster. "Our Guild is open to all Exploration Teams."

Everyone went back inside the Guild. Monferno stayed behind to speak to Blessing.

"Here, you don't need to waste your energy," he said to her. "I'll carry you."

"Well, if you insist," Blessing answered. She lowered herself into Monferno's arms. The two of them then followed the other Pokémon into the Guild's second subfloor.

* * *

"As you may know, our Team, Team Temperature, is made up entirely of reformed criminals," Celsius explained. "My husband and I apprehend a dangerous criminal, and extensively reform them. We put them to work, confine them in solitude, anything that works. It also depends on the severity of the crime; the worst criminals get a physical punishment directly from my husband and I."

"There's no criminal we haven't reformed," Fahrenheit added. "Any we get to becomes a contributing asset to the world, and to Team Temperature. As the great Guildmaster here once famously said during an Explorers' Holiday a decade ago, there's no such thing as a completely evil Pokémon."

"BULLS—"

Monferno put his hand over Blessing's mouth to keep her obscenity silent. "Sorry about that, dad."

"It's fine," Fahrenheit assured. "I see she's a rebellious one. Anyway, Pokémon go bad sometimes, but they never stay bad."

Blessing pulled Monferno's hand away from her mouth. "Oh, really?!" she contested. "Ever met Darkrai?!"

"Darkrai? Hey, hey! Didn't he disappear off the face of the world after Team Space-Time got through with him?" Corphish asked.

"So what if he did? That son of a bitch deserved worse than that!" Blessing cried. "How dare you say there's no such thing as a purely evil Pokémon?!"

"Blessing, that's enough," Chatot said.

"There _are_ purely evil Pokémon in the world!" Blessing continued. "And for you to say that there isn't is a lie! You two are deluding yourselves!"

"SILENCE!" Chatot squawked. "Rudeness to guests is _not_ tolerated, Blessing! One more word, and you're going without dinner!"

In response to that, Blessing opened a Dimensional Hole at the spot she was currently at. It deposited her to her bed.

"That's Blessing, a rather outspoken member of Team Space-Time," Chatot said apologetically. "She doesn't mean to offend, so please don't hold this against her."

"Don't worry," Celsius said. "We all have our ideas and philosophies."

"That's the girl who saved our son, huh?" Fahrenheit asked. "She's quite feisty. Very easy to mistake for an outlaw. But there's a reason behind any ideal. Son, would you like to speak to her?"

"Sure!" Monferno answered gleefully. He was off to Blessing's room in an instant.

"On to business," Celsius addressed. "We've heard Weavile's name mentioned as a conspirator in the Grey Theatre incident. She's the most recent addition to our list, so we're going to offer our assistance in retrieving the friend she is responsible for the disappearance of."

"That's right!" Celebi cried. "They abducted Grovyle! We have to save him!"

"Then that's what we'll do!" Fahrenheit agreed. "You have our cooperation."

"Son! Come along!" Celsius shouted toward Blessing's room. "We're embarking on a rescue mission!"

"You go on ahead!" Monferno shouted back. "I'll stay here and look after Blessing, like you just sent me here to do!"

"You sure you can look after her and the Guild all at once?" Chatot asked.

"Yes, I can!" Monferno answered. "Now get going! Grovyle needs you!"

"All right, then. And thanks!" Chatot then turned to the Guild Crew.

"Okay, everyone," said Guildmaster Wigglytuff. "We're going to rescue Grovyle! That is our new top priority!"

"And along with that," Chatot added. "We'll put a stop to whatever Weavile, her 'leader,' and those other thugs are planning! Now, let's move out!"

"HOORAY!" And with that, the Guild crew, joined by the two founders of Team Temperature, were off on their mission.


	7. Chapter 7 - Demon-Type Revolution

_In the last adventure, Team Space-Time, Celebi, Dusknoir, the Sableye soldiers, and the rest of the Guild crew came to, having been rescued by the founders of Team Temperature. The two criminal reformers offered their cooperation in a mission to locate Grovyle, wherever he is._

* * *

Chapter 7 – Demon-Type Revolution

* * *

"Seriously, I wonder why he doesn't just have a picture made of this," Blessing said, gesturing toward her bandages. "It'll last longer."

"So, Loudred and you are friends, in a way," Monferno replied. "It must be fun having such exchanges with him."

"But at least he knows what he's talking about sometimes. Seriously, though he does hardly any listening, he sure does talk a lot, and every now and then, he manages to speak of something profound. He's fooled by stuff sometimes, but never by such tripe concerning morality."

Monferno looked confused at that last statement. He gave Blessing some Sitrus Berry Soup despite that.

"'No such thing as pure evil,'" Blessing seethed. "Nothing…but **_TRIPE!"_** Practically screaming the last word, she threw her soup bowl down the Guild corridor.

"My parents believe that because—"

"Well, they're wrong! One hundred percent wrong! You hear me, Monferno?! Wrong! Wrong! **_WRONG! WR—"_** She made the mistake of standing up during her mad tirade, and as a result, strained herself and fell over.

"Blessing, don't strain yourself!" Monferno scolded. "You're still injured!"

The pain refused to subside, prompting Monferno to cook another serving of Sitrus Berry Soup. He mixed in a Sleep Seed as well. Serving it to Blessing served to calm her down and make her woozy after she drank it.

"I put a Sleep Seed in that soup," Monferno confessed. "You need to rest. You're too tense."

Blessing opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't find the proper words to say. Instead, she looked at Monferno with an apologetic expression. Monferno noticed that she looked as though she was ready to cry. She decided not to resist the Sleep Seed's effects any longer, and shut her eyes. She was asleep almost instantly.

"Sleep well, my rescuer," Monferno said, patting her head.

* * *

"Wouldn't it be just like them to not clean their mess up?" Pelame asked while helping the others search the rubble that was once the Grey Theatre.

"Well, it works out for us, right?" Pugno responded. "They left behind all their clues."

Pelame and Pugno got no farther in their search before they both started to feel dizzy. Everything went dark, and soon, Pelame saw Treasure Town being attacked by lots of Pokémon wielding a strange dark power. After her vision ended, she looked back in the direction of Treasure Town.

"That's a relief," she said, seeing no signs of a coup. "Treasure Town looks like it's safe for now."

"Wait a moment," Pugno said, shocked. "Did you see what I saw? I saw Treasure Town being attacked by a group of Pokémon using the same power we saw the Grey Theatre crew use on us."

"That's exactly what I saw!" Pelame answered.

"_Two_ Dimensional Screams at _once_?!" Celebi asked, astonished.

"Not only that, but they both saw the same vision," Dusknoir noted.

Fahrenheit and Celsius looked at each other, having come to an important thought about the two founders of Team Space-Time.

"If you don't mind me asking," Celsius started, addressing Pelame. "Did you always know you have the Dimensional Scream ability?"

"No, actually," Pelame answered. "I've never had a vision before we went to the Grey Theatre. But on the other hand, my friend Pugno has had that ability all his life."

"I've had my Dimensional Scream ability since the days I was a human," Pugno added.

"Human?!" Fahrenheit exclaimed. He had never been so surprised. "You were human once?!"

"Yes, I was," Pugno answered sincerely. "I don't remember much of it. I lost my memory when I became a Riolu."

"Grovyle, Dusknoir, and I can fill you in on some missing parts of Pugno's past," Celebi said to the pair of Infernape. "We knew him since then."

Fahrenheit and Celsius stared at Pugno for a few moments without saying a word. They were thinking of something, but they couldn't say it outright yet. They came to a decision at last.

"Listen, all of you," Fahrenheit said. "After we find your friend, we have something very important to share with all of you. But we can't do so yet."

"Why not?" Celebi asked.

"We just can't," Celsius answered on her husband's behalf. "But all we can say now is that it has to do with…" Celsius looked around as if looking out to see if they were being spied on. She walked over to Pelame and Pugno and knelt down to their ears. "…the Alpha Bloodline," she whispered.

"The Alph—" Celsius quickly covered Pelame and Pugno's mouths before they could get their question out. "YES!" she shouted while doing so. "Sorry," she said, removing her hands from Pelame and Pugno's mouths.

"We understand," Pugno said. "We can wait."

"It sounds important," Pelame added. "But I'll wait, too."

* * *

It had been three hours since everyone had left the Guild to search for Grovyle. At that time, Blessing had awakened from her sleep, while Monferno was busy making a proper dinner for the both of them. Blessing could smell the food, and she seemed to enjoy it. She identified the fragrances of a Black Gummi and a Clear Gummi. She could also smell the fragrance of a Big Apple being cooked, as well as that of an Oran Berry, a Sitrus Berry, and a Heal Seed. The smell of all those delicious foods blended together put a big smile on Blessing's face. She couldn't remember the last time she had such a dorky expression on her face. Monferno entered Blessing's Crew Room with the recipe after five minutes.

"How did you know Black and Clear Gummis are my two favorite foods?" Blessing asked.

"Just a lucky guess," Monferno answered. "I just assumed based on your being a Dark and Ice-type Pokémon. Looks like I was right."

Blessing happily drank the soup and ate the Gummi garnish. Soon after finishing her meal, her happiness faded and turned to sadness.

"This was…her favorite food," Blessing said. "Orus Soup. My parents would make it for me and her. It was a slice of Heaven, especially when garnished with Black Gummis and Clear Gummis. It was a special treat for special occasions, like birthdays, academic achievements, my return home, what have you."

"Whose favorite food was this besides yours?" Monferno asked, his curiosity piqued.

"My older sister's," Blessing answered solemnly.

Monferno was taken aback. He never heard of Blessing having an older sister.

"Rather, my late older sister's," Blessing corrected. Monferno was even more shocked to hear that development. He felt a twinge of sympathy for her upon hearing such a tragic confession. But she wasn't finished yet.

"She had always wanted to be part of an Exploration Team, ever since she saw a Teddiursa bullying a Togepi. She ended up being picked on herself, which was when I scared that hoodlum off. My sister wanted to do things that mattered to the world, following the example of many Explorers the world had known. Team Space-Time was just starting out by the time she came to that decision. Her desire to become an Explorer was always met with objections from me, since I got it in my head that she'd die if she ever joined an Exploration Team. I'd heard of enough Explorer deaths to fear the same would happen to her. And when Darkrai killed my mother for refusing to take part in his final plan of attack against Team Space-Time, that was when I started actively resisting her choice to be an Explorer. I figured that if Explorers couldn't save my mother's life, that they couldn't do anything right. To my chagrin, she finally joined Team Space-Time and took on the name Loyal. And not too long after that, she died, realizing my fears. I don't know who or what killed her, but all I know is that's why…" Blessing started to sob. "..That's why your parents are completely, 100% wrong when they say there's no such thing as pure evil!" Blessing was bawling at this point. "If there's really no such thing as pure evil, then why did Darkrai kill my mother just because she refused to help him kill Pelame, Pugno, and Cresselia?! Why did Loyal's mysterious murderer kill her, then?! Were they just misguided souls, too?!"

Monferno didn't know what to say to that query directly. "Blessing,…that's one of the saddest things I've ever heard…" was all he could say to comfort her.

"I'm sorry if I sound like I'm insulting your parents," Blessing said with a breaking voice. "But when stuff like that happens in the world, how can they believe that? You're their son, so don't you know?"

"Actually, I do," Monferno said. "I must admit, what you just told me right now makes me think my parents would have quite a hard time with the culprits you mentioned. Darkrai, and that other figure wouldn't be easy to reform, but they'd be able to do it. They can reform any criminal at all, but it isn't always easy for them to do."

To even her own surprise, Blessing was hanging on Monferno's every word.

"There are some extremely special cases where they would have to rely on a special power of theirs to reform a criminal. You see, there are some that won't listen to reason. For those criminals, they have to use a special ability that forces them to experience all the pain they inflicted on others. Only then will they see the error of their ways. In fact, my mother Celsius was subject to that before Team Temperature was founded."

That last part caught Blessing's attention. "Wait; your mother was a criminal?!"

"Yes, she was. She never killed anyone, but her attempts to do so earned her the wretched reputation she had about two decades ago. She was vicious; whenever she attempted to kill a Pokémon, she'd ensure the victim was crippled for life by the time the law caught up to her. She was never captured, until one day when an attempt to escape caused her to fall off a cliff. The officers chasing her thought she had died of the fall, so they left her be. That was when my father found her and took her to a temporary residence he had built near that area near Mount Travail. When she awoke, he told her that he had to take her to prison after she healed. She attacked him as a response to that, but she was overpowered. My father then used his special power on her, making her experience all the pain she had ever inflicted on others; she felt all the bone breaking, the flesh cutting, the bludgeoning, the near drowning, the burning, everything. Not a single thing was left out. The ordeal left her catatonic for three days. My father told me that it seemed as if she was shocked at the things she did. When she came to, the first thing she said was 'I'm so sorry.' She left for Treasure Town's police station and turned herself in. She actually even begged the judge to give her the execution sentence. She instead got sentenced to fifteen years in solitary confinement, which was when she reflected on her life. When she was released, she was a very different Pokémon altogether, unrecognizable as the fiend who crippled an innocent old Farfetch'd just for passing by her. She returned to the Infernape who had reformed her, and they were soon married. They both decided to start an Exploration Team that focused on reforming criminals, which is how Team Temperature came to be."

Blessing had a lot to think about after hearing this tale of Monferno's. She had once been just like Celsius; doing bad at one low point of her life, and then going good again.

"That's why they don't think there's such a thing as pure evil," Monferno continued. "My mother was bad once, but she saw the error of her ways, and turned into the role model she is now. Together, my parents helped turn the worst of Pokémon-kind into model citizens."

"I understand now," Blessing admitted. "There's a fine line between an act of petty wrongdoing and an act of evil. But it sounds as though it's the action itself that's evil, not the one who does it. Even the best of us have made mistakes. Look at Dusknoir; at one time, a servant to a corrupted Guardian of Time. But now, you'd never think that an upstanding moral figure like him ever had anything to do with such a creature as Primal Dialga. And even Primal Dialga wasn't evil; he was only misguided and brainwashed. I'm beginning to think that maybe Darkrai might not have entirely been himself. I can't really be certain of that, though, not until your parents turn that power…" Blessing then decided to address the Wailord in the room, and also to finish an Apple she had saved for her desert. "By the way, what is this power of your parents'?"

"Glad you asked," Monferno said proudly. "You see, my parents were given special divine powers to help protect the world with. They serve a special order known as the Alpha Bloodline."

Blessing nearly choked on her Apple in shock. "What did you just say?" she asked after coughing up the Apple slice.

"The Alpha Bloodline. My parents serve them."

* * *

"Go get yourselves some drinks," Weavile said to Arbok and Drapion, giving them both some money. "And remember to stay out of my way."

"Yes, Lady Weavile," said Arbok as he and Drapion both entered the Spinda Café.

"The rest of you," Weavile said to the Pokémon following her. "Shop around, chat with others, I don't care what you do, just keep away from me. Got it?" They all nodded. "All right, then."

Weavile entered Treasure Town while the other Pokémon with her scattered around and did as told. Per her instructions, they all kept away from her, which left her as the only customer for green Kecleon.

"Welcome to Kecleon Wares!" said the green Kecleon brother joyfully. "How may I serve you?"

"Blast Seeds," Weavile said. "All of them. That's all."

"Certainly," green Kecleon said, gathering up the entire stock of Blast Seeds. "Six Blast Seeds will be 180 Poké. Does this complete your order?"

Weavile simply stared at the clerk. After about ten seconds, Weavile suddenly wolfed down all six of the Blast Seeds.

"Excuse me," both Kecleon asserted. "You were supposed to pay for those first. 180 Poké."

Weavile reacted by swallowing the Blast Seeds.

* * *

"Then…then," Blessing stammered, remembering something. "Then you _did_ know the answer to Team Skull's question!"

"Of course I did. But I couldn't let them know that. Vital information about the Alpha Bloodline isn't to be known to the likes of those tainted by the Dark Blessing, like Team Skull."

"You know you'd have been sleeping with the Magikarps if I wasn't there to save you."

"I would take those secrets to my grave if I had to. Still, I am grateful to you for that save."

"But if the Alpha Bloodline is so full of forbidden secrets, why did you just tell me about some of it now?"

"Simple. It's because—"

An alarm sounded all throughout Treasure Town, cutting off Monferno's answer to Blessing's question.

"ATTENTION ALL CITIZENS! EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY! TREASURE TOWN IS UNDER ATTACK! REPEAT, TREASURE TOWN IS UNDER ATTACK! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! EVACUATE TOWN—"

Officer Magnezone was then interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Oh, no you whelps don't! You're all ours now! Treasure Town belongs to the Demon-types now! Stay put so I can mess you all up!"

"What's Weavile trying to pull now?!" Blessing demanded, levitating herself and flying out of the Guild.

"Blessing, wait!" Monferno called after her. "It's too dangerous!"

Blessing paid no attention to Monferno's warning. She arrived to find Treasure Town burning to a crisp. The citizens were evacuating as quickly as they could, as Weavile was attempting to prevent their escape. Blessing thwarted Weavile's attempt to pull Kangaskhan back into the burning town. However, the use of a Dark Blessing attack caused her to have to temporarily stop levitating.

"Look who it is," Weavile taunted. "The bratty Sneasel with the broken behind. Did you think you could levitate and attack at the same time? Because that's impossible, and you're stupid."

"You think I need to float in order to face you?" Blessing retorted, throwing a Demon Orb at Weavile, which was dodged quickly.

"Yes, actually. You're no good on the ground." Weavile conjured a group of four Demon Orbs and made them surround Blessing. The Orbs shot out small energy blasts at her. After that, the Orbs themselves collided with her. While that was going on, Weavile took that opportunity to snatch the green Kecleon clerk with Evil Threads generated from the tips of her claws. Once she got the clerk in her clutches, she advanced on Blessing and kicked her rear end, where the bandage was.

"I told you you're no good on the ground!" Weavile taunted triumphantly as she turned Blessing over onto her stomach and stomped on her injured backside. Blessing tried not to scream, hoping to deny her enemy the satisfaction of hearing such a thing. Weavile put her claws up to Kecleon's neck. "You could've been just like me, Blessing. If you had only stopped resisting the Dark Blessing's power, you'd enjoy the blood I am now going to spill on you!"

"Alpha Beam!"

The mysterious divine beam hit Weavile directly. Though Blessing and Kecleon were caught in the blast, they were completely unharmed.

"Sorry I'm late," Monferno said, rushing to Blessing's aid. "I would've been here sooner, but I had to deal with Team Skull blocking my path. By the way, nice shot, Mom."

"Thanks, my boy," Celsius said, having arrived with Team Space-Time and the rest of the group in tow. She then focused her attention on Weavile. "Causing trouble again, are you? I remember the days where you were nothing but a thief with standards. Now, you appear to have done away with those standards and have become a wannabe cold-blooded killer."

"Wannabe cold-blooded killer?" Weavile retorted. "That sounds good to me. I'd love to get your blood on my claws! In fact, every citizen of Treasure Town should fall to me!"

"Now, now, my Lady Weavile. There's no need for bloodlust."

Pelame and Pugno froze in horror at the familiarity of the voice that just spoke.

"Impossible…" Pugno whispered.

Blessing made a futile attempt to get to her feet in reaction to hearing the voice, which was familiar to her, too.

"Long time, no see, Team Space-Time."

The flames burning Treasure Town suddenly extinguished. When the smoke cleared, a familiar figure was in front of the group. A figure Pelame and Pugno hoped to have seen the last of.

"Trying to conquer the world again, Darkrai?" Pelame seethed. "I see you're not taking a covert method anymore. What's wrong? Did you finally realize that subtlety will fail you if you tried that again?"

"And furthermore," Pugno added. "You were to have lost your memories. You evidently cheated your way out of that, too."

"Indeed," Darkrai admitted. "Although I never suffered amnesia to begin with. All Palkia's attack did was slow me down. But the Dark Blessing renewed my strength as soon as I discovered it a year ago. With this new power, I no longer have to fear being chased. And speaking of chases, where's your friend Cresselia? She didn't die on you, did she?"

"Actually," Blessing started. "The only one here who will die is you!" Blessing lashed out, having wanted to do this for years. "This will be nothing compared to what my mother will do to you when you meet her in the hereafter!" Unfortunately, her Demon-magnified Guillotine attack didn't connect. In response, Darkrai launched an energy wave that blew apart Treasure Town.

"Do you see now the power of the Dark Blessing?!" he demanded. "This is the power the world will be ruled by. The power of the Demon-type!"

"Alpha Warp!" Fahrenheit shouted. In the blink of an eye, Team Space-Time and friends were out of Darkrai's sight.

"Cowards," Weavile mused. "Well, my Leader, shall we make this town ours?"

"We shall," Darkrai answered. "And by the way, the group of Pokémon that just fled from us are the only Pokémon you have my permission to kill. We can't afford to take any chances with them. While I reconstruct this town to make it a monument for what's to come, track them down and do away with them."

"With pleasure, sir."

* * *

**Suggested music for this chapter:**

**Two Simultaneous Dimensional Screams – Just Wondering (Kingdom Hearts – Re:Chain of Memories)**

**Blessing and Monferno Confide – Missing You (Kingdom Hearts II)**

**Evacuation Warning – Danger (Pokemon Mystery Dungeon - Gates to Infinity)**

**Treasure Town Attacked – Event: Madness (Sonic Adventure 2)**


	8. Chapter 8 - The Alpha Bloodline

_In the last adventure, Blessing and Monferno confessed the reasons behind their beliefs about the world. As it turns out, Monferno is related to the mysterious Alpha Bloodline, whose powers are currently unknown and are to be kept secret. Treasure Town was soon attacked by Weavile's gang. Darkrai made his reentrance to the world's public, intending once again to conquer all._

* * *

Chapter 8 – The Alpha Bloodline

* * *

"We had him right there!" Blessing roared at Fahrenheit and Celsius. "We could have been done with Darkrai in a second, but **_noooo_**, you had to put your tails between your legs and take us all with you in your cowardly escape!"

"Blessing, calm down—" Monferno attempted.

"Is the rest of the Alpha Bloodline as wimpy as you two?!"

"Pardon me?" Celsius asked irritably, Blessing having touched a nerve.

"Yeah, your son told me all about it, and I actually kinda respected you two after hearing your story. But after what you just did now, consider my respect gone. If you two seriously believed in doing what was right for the world, you would have taken Darkrai out right then and there! He's a threat to the whole world, and you two passed up probably the best chance you would have gotten to save all of Pokémonkind!"

Blessing continued just as Fahrenheit was getting ready to speak. "Oh, let me guess. 'It's not right to kill. Killing makes you as bad as the fiend.' Yeah, that would perfectly coincide with your stupid belief that pure evil doesn't exist, wouldn't it?!"

"Blessing, if you would just listen for a moment—" Celsius started, beginning to get irritated.

"Well I'll tell _you_ something right now: any Pokémon that orphans someone doesn't deserve to live! I'm not going to rest until he's dead, not like you two! If you two are all that's keeping the world standing, then we have all been doomed from the beginning!"

During the course of the argument unfolding before her, Pelame couldn't settle on a side. Seeing her friend lose her cool in such a manner, as well as not even bothering to let the other speaker have a say, upset her greatly.

"It appears that the members of Team Space-Time are the only ones fit to save this world now, because you two, who claim to serve an order dedicated to the world's safety, can't be relied on for that!"

"Whose sake do you think we did that for, then?!" Celsius finally blurted out. "Did you not see what was happening?!"

Something strange was beginning to happen to Pelame. Even though it was a warm night at the end of the summer season, she started to shiver as if it were the winter season's coldest day. The angrier she got at the scene unfolding before her, the colder she got.

"Nothing was happening but Darkrai gloating like a cliché out of a bedtime story! He wasn't even trying to attack! In fact, he even called off his top minion from doing that herself! You just let him stand there and conquer Treasure Town! You've failed your Alpha Bloodline!"

"SHUT UP! ALL OF YOU, **JUST SHUT YOUR ****_DAMN STUPID_****_MOUTHS!"_**

Everyone stared in shock at Pelame in reaction to her sudden outburst. As soon as she said it, she was shocked, too.

"Pelame, what's wrong with you?" Pugno asked, half upset and half concerned.

"I don't know!" Pelame shouted. "I wish I knew!"

"Do you see now, Blessing?" Celsius said. "That's why my husband and I whisked us all away! Because that energy wave Darkrai released implanted Pelame with a Dark Blessing!"

"That's why none of us were blasted back by that attack," Fahrenheit added. "All the buildings were blown apart, too, but that was a distraction."

Pelame started to get dizzy. Her vision went dark, and she heard a screeching sound.

* * *

_"Where should be begin looking, Lady Weavile?" Arbok asked._

_"Looking? For what?" Weavile responded._

_"For Team Space-Time and their friends," Drapion answered. "Didn't the Leader just dispatch you to find them?"_

_"Of course he did. He dispatched _me_ to find them. You two would just hold me back, so go on your own separate searches. I'm heading to Treeshroud Forest first. So you two don't."_

_"But, milady, you might need our help."_

_Weavile glared dangerously at Drapion for his implication. Did he not think that she could take care of herself?_

_"Milady, we want to help—"_

_"I don't need your help!" Weavile snapped. "You think a perfectly infallible Pokémon like myself needs anyone's help?! Well, too bad! I am your Team leader, and I command you to stay out of my way!"_

_Without another word, she was off toward Treeshroud Forest._

* * *

"Weavile's on her way here," Pelame said after coming to. "I just saw it."

"Did you touch anything just now?" Dusknoir asked.

"No, I didn't. That vision just came to be all on its own."

"Dusknoir, sir, we have some explaining to do," Fahrenheit said. "But we first need to leave this forest. Gather around, everyone."

All the Pokémon did as told. "Alpha Warp!" said the Infernape couple, teleporting everyone away from Treeshroud Forest using special amulets.

* * *

The group reappeared in the Crystal Cave's lake chamber. Azelf noticed immediately.

"Excuse me," he said. "This lake isn't public. I must ask you all to leave immediately…" As soon as he noticed who just entered, he changed his tone. "My apologies, Team Space-Time. But you should have told me you were bringing friends with you."

"Actually, this was our doing," Celsius explained. "A pursuer was on her way to our previous hiding spot, so we had to teleport away."

"Teleport? But Infernapes can't learn Teleport. Not unless you've been given those powers by…" Then Azelf put two and two together. He shut his eyes and contacted Uxie and Mesprit. In a moment, the other two guardians appeared.

"It's been too long," Dusknoir said. "To what do we owe the pleasure of meeting again?"

"The Alpha Bloodline," Uxie answered. "Or rather, why they're needed now."

"I guess now's the time we were waiting for," Pugno said.

"First off," Fahrenheit started. "The Alpha Bloodline is an order dedicated to protecting the world. Members of the Alpha Bloodline are given special powers by Arceus himself. These powers are classified as 'Alpha-type,' and that's the only power that can properly combat the Demon-type."

"Demon-type is super-effective against all other types," Celsius continued. "Including Alpha-type. However, Alpha-type, while it's a type that is also at a disadvantage against Demon-type, can resist Demon-type better than any other type. Alpha-type is the only type that can not only resist Demon-type, but match it. Like the Demon-type, Alpha-type is also super-effective against all other types. However, unlike Demon-type which is indiscriminate about who or what it will hurt, Alpha-type only harms evil. It will hurt nothing else. The Alpha-type came about because of the Dark Blessing becoming a threat to the whole world. Arceus took action against it by lending his divine power to two inhabitants of the world: an Espeon named Grani, and a human named Ken."

"A human?" Pugno asked. "This world had a human population?"

"Yes it did," Fahrenheit said. "No one knows what happened to them, but Ken and the woman he married were a few of the only ones left. And Pugno, when we heard you were once human, that made us think of something about you. Our suspicions were confirmed when you had that Dimensional Scream vision. The Dimensional Scream is one of the powers of the Alpha Bloodline. And since you were once human, like Ken, one of the original Alpha Bloodline members, we believe you're Ken's descendant. And Pelame, we believe you're Grani's descendant."

Pelame and Pugno pondered this new information, and they couldn't help being skeptical.

"But there's something we don't understand," Pelame said. "If Pugno and I are descended from the original two Alpha Bloodline members, why haven't we been able to use any of our powers other than the Dimensional Scream, which I only recently started having?"

"Unfortunately, we don't know the answer to that," Celsius answered. "The Alpha Bloodline's powers cannot be given out by anyone except Arceus, and he is no longer able to do that. Ever since he was sealed within the Alpha Sanctuary, he lost a lot of his power. He can only communicate with those who are of the Alpha Bloodline, like you two and ourselves, and our son, too."

"Alpha powers cannot be learned, either," Fahrenheit added. "One would quite literally have to be born with them. It's unfortunately a complete mystery to us why the both of you have been unable to use your Alpha Powers until now."

"But we never used any Alpha Power except for the Dimensional Scream," Pugno responded.

"Moreover, that's an ability that can't be used on a whim," Dusknoir added.

"However, if anything happens to one's Alpha powers, there is a way to restore them," Fahrenheit said.

"If a member of the Alpha Bloodline reaches the peak of the Destiny Tower," Celsius said. "Their power will be reinstated, regardless of what happened to them."

Pelame and Pugno perked up instantly.

"We did that!" Pelame said. "Pugno and I reached the top of the Destiny Tower! We saw the statue of Arceus and received a Space Globe! He also told us about what had happened in the future, that Grovyle, Dusknoir, Celebi, and the rest were safe!"

"So, our reaching the top of that tower restored our missing power?" Pugno asked.

"It did," Celsius answered. "Try one of your abilities out. Try calling your designated Alpha Amulet to you."

"Designated Alpha Amulet?" Pugno asked, confused. "How do I do that if I don't have one?"

"Repeat after me," Fahrenheit said. "Say 'Alpha Return.' Both of you say it out loud. Your Amulets should return to you."

Pelame and Pugno shut their eyes to concentrate. "Alpha Return," they both said in unison. When they opened their eyes, no Alpha Amulets appeared. Instead, Pelame felt her Explorers Toolbox get heavier. When she opened it, what she found inside surprised her.

"The Space Globe?" Pelame asked. "What's this doing here?"

"Weren't we supposed to summon Alpha Amulets?" Pugno asked. "Why did we end up just pulling this out from under the front tooth of Sharpedo Bluff?"

"The front tooth?" Pelame asked incredulously. "I thought you hid the Space Globe in the source of the fountain back in the bluff."

"Pelame, that would've been suicide if I did something like that," Pugno answered. "When we agreed to hide this, I had to be certain it stayed hidden, which was why I told you a different location. I'm sorry for lying to you about that."

"It's fine. After all, this thing made you dangerous."

"Heh, I remember that," Blessing said. "Pugno flooded the Drenched Bluff with his awful Aura Sphere aim. That's saying a lot considering that Space Globe spikes his abilities up to maximum, and he _still_ missed with maximum accuracy!"

"Wait a minute," Pelame said, noticing something about the Globe she hadn't seen before. "Pugno, look at this!"

Pelame and Pugno took a better look at the Space Globe, noticing a sigil on it that wasn't there before. It appeared to be a small circle, surrounded by a bigger, but unfinished circle with beams connecting them and protruding out near the edges of the incomplete circle.

"It looks like that wheel on Arceus's torso," Pugno noted. "His 'arms,' right?"

"Come with me," Azelf said. "Pelame and Pugno only. There's something I need you two to see."

Azelf led the two to the lake's shore and dove into the lake. They dove in after him and followed him to a secret submerged cavern.

"Don't worry about air," Azelf said. "Members of the Alpha Bloodline can breathe this water perfectly. It's normal, unbreatheable water to anyone else, though."

"Are you part of the Alpha Bloodline, too?" Pugno asked, noticing that Azelf was also breathing normally.

"No, I'm not. But being the guardian of this lake has its privileges. In fact, since this is normal water to anyone except us, that factored into my fail-safe trap to keep the Time Gear beyond Grovyle's reach all those years ago. Needless to say, it's a good thing I activated it before he got into the water."

"Wow, how dark of you," Pugno quipped playfully. "What made you reconsider drowning him?"

"Remembering that he'd still get the Time Gear while he was underwater," Azelf answered simply. "We've arrived, by the way."

The three Pokémon surfaced in a secret chamber deep under the lake.

"Light the chamber up," Azelf ordered. "It's one of your Alpha abilities."

"O…okay then," Pugno said. "Alpha…light?"

"Alpha flash?" Pelame attempted.

"It's 'Alpha Vision,'" Azelf clarified. "That's the technique's name."

"Sorry," Pelame said. "Alpha Vision." At that, a good part of the cave lit up from the light generated by the Space Globe.

"Welcome to one of many Alpha Shrines," Azelf said. "This room is open only to members of the Alpha Bloodline."

"Then why did Fahrenheit, Celsius, and Monferno stay behind?" Pelame asked.

"They've already been here," Azelf answered. "Many years ago, actually. And Monferno visited me last week. These chambers are where members of the Alpha Bloodline receive a blessing from one of the Legendary Pokémon. I am one of them. Stand there, please." Azelf gestured toward a circle on the ground bearing a mural resembling the sigil on the Space Globe. "In the center of the Alpha Sigil is where you will receive my blessing."

Pelame and Pugno stood where they were told to. The Alpha Sigil on the ground started to glow a divine gold, lighting up the entire room. A statue of a human holding a sword lowered its sword to touch the staff held by the Espeon statue across from it. The tip of the sword and the tip of the staff generated a golden light that shone down on Pelame and Pugno. As if they had always known what to do, they held onto opposite ends of the Space Globe and pulled toward themselves. The Globe opened to reveal four Alpha Amulets, two of which responded to Pelame and Pugno. The Amulets put themselves onto the two Pokémon as recognition of their ownership. Azelf flew up to the touching sword and staff and began to glow golden, too. He then spoke.

"Orb, Warp, Heal, Defense, Vision, and Beam,  
my gift to this Alpha Bloodline Team.  
The Being of Willpower requests of you,  
Visit my fellows, the other two.  
And after them, still more to find,  
To restore the Alpha power to your heart, soul, and mind.  
Now accept my gift Pelame and Pugno,  
And off to the other shrines you will then go."

Pelame and Pugno felt a rush of power enter their very existences. It warmed them to experience such a sensation. Once the glowing lights dissipated and the statues resumed their normal positions, Pelame and Pugno, almost as if they had known these abilities for their entire lives, demonstrated them. The Alpha Orbs harmlessly clashed with each other and dissipated, they teleported and reappeared in the same room, they recovered from injuries they hadn't sustained, they lit the chamber up, and their Alpha Beams collided harmlessly with the wall.

"Thank you, Azelf," Pelame and Pugno both said.

"My pleasure," Azelf said. "We should return to the others now. Follow me."

When the three Pokémon returned, they found the rest of the group cornered by Weavile. They were holding out against her fine enough.

"Pelame, shall we try out our new power?" Pugno asked rhetorically.

"You read my mind," Pelame answered. They both unleashed Alpha Beams at Weavile, hitting her directly.

"Leave my lake at once!" Azelf demanded.

"Letharg—"

"Alpha Defense!" Pelame and Pugno shouted, generating a protective force field around Azelf. The Lethargy move failed to connect as a result.

"You two, go where I told you to go!" Azelf commanded. "I can handle this Demon wannabe."

"We'll help you out, too," Guildmaster Wigglytuff said.

"Are you sure about this?" Pugno asked.

"Of course," Celebi said. "We'll take Weavile on while you two track down the other Alpha Shrines!"

"We'll back them up," Celsius and Fahrenheit said. "Son, go with those two."

"Got it," Monferno answered. "I'll be taking Blessing with us, too."

"Take me nothing!" Blessing snapped. "I'm not passing up a chance to see Weavile humiliated!"

"Sorry, Blessing, but yes you are," Monferno said. "Pelame, Pugno, let's get going."

"You're not going anywhere!" Weavile screamed. "You're dying right here! And so is everyone in this entire cave! EVERYONE! Including the cave's locals! DIE, ALL OF YOU!"

"I can't take this anymore," Pelame said. "Let's get out of here." Taking the opportunity given to them by the Infernape couple blocking Weavile's path, Pelame, Pugno, Blessing, and Monferno teleported out of the cave. Mesprit and Uxie followed suit.

"Fine, then," Weavile said. "I'll kill those four later. After I'm done with all of you, that is! Now, hurry up AND DIE!"

* * *

The four appeared at the Quicksand Cave Lake.

"Ugh, I hate running, especially from that hussy," Blessing griped.

"Blessing, you're in no shape to fight Weavile," Monferno said. "You're in no fighting shape, period!"

"Oh, that reminds me," Pelame said, brandishing her Alpha Amulet. "Pugno, Monferno, get your Alpha Amulets out and help me."

The two did as told. Monferno reached into the Charcoal bracelet he wore on his right wrist and found his Amulet. Together, the three recited, "Alpha Heal," and used it on Blessing. She attempted to stand up, but it still pained her to do so.

"It won't immediately heal an injury that severe," Monferno said. "But rest assured you'll be off your butt in two days. Our technique sped up the healing process."

"Cool," Blessing responded. "Then I can finally kick Weavile's."

Mesprit addressed Pelame and Pugno. "Follow me. I'll take you to my lake's Alpha Chamber now." Mesprit dove into the lake as Pelame and Pugno followed her. Monferno and Blessing stayed behind.

"Why do those two always get to have all the fun?" Blessing groaned.

"They're the newest additions to the Alpha Bloodline," Monferno answered. "Besides, you're still injured. And even if you weren't the Alpha Chamber wouldn't let you in."

"So? I still would've liked to accompany them as far as I could. I'm so tired of being on the sidelines! Why won't my stupid tailbone heal faster?! I hate being useless! I hate being nothing but a spectat—"

Monferno suddenly scooped Blessing up and hid behind a stalagmite.

"I can't wait to see the look on Weavile's face when she finds that _we're_ the ones who got rid of those meddlers," said a hostile Pokémon Monferno recognized as Skuntank.

"Yeah, keep—" Monferno covered Blessing's mouth before she could finish her sentence. "They'll hear us," he whispered.

"Lmmmt vmm, vmmph!" Blessing mumbled as loud as she could through Monferno's hand.

"Hey, chief," Koffing said. "Over there by that pointy rock. I think I heard someone."

Blessing slapped Monferno, causing him to let go of her mouth. "Of course you did, stupid! Come and get us!" she shouted.

"Alpha Warp," Monferno whispered, teleporting the two away.

"Sounds like she got away," Zubat said. "No way are we letting Weavile know about this."

"Agreed," Skuntank and Koffing said in unison.

* * *

Pelame, Pugno, and Mesprit reached the lake's secret chamber, which looked much the same as the previous one. The only difference was that this Alpha Chamber was made of rocks and sand instead of crystals, like Azelf's chamber was. Without needing to be told, Pelame and Pugno assumed the position. The statues lowered their weapons to touch against each other as Mesprit assumed her spot, causing the Alpha Sigil, the tips of the weapons, the Alpha Amulets and Mesprit to glow gold.

"Water, fire, thunder, ground, air, dark, and light,  
My gift to add to this Alpha Bloodline Team's might.  
The Being of Emotion requests of you,  
To seek Uxie and his shrine, too.  
And after him, still more to find,  
To restore the Alpha power to your heart, soul, and mind.  
Now accept my gift Pelame and Pugno,  
And off to the other shrines you will then go."

Mesprit's words intensified the golden glow of the chamber and filled Pelame and Pugno with even more divine power. After another seemingly automatic demonstration, the two had integrated their new abilities into themselves.

"Mesprit, thanks," Pelame said.

"We're very grateful," Pugno added. "We'll give Weavile a good punch in the face for you."

"Please do," Mesprit said. "Now, Uxie is waiting for you with the last of the Lake Guardian gifts. He'll tell you the rest. Off we go now."

* * *

"Stay in here!" Monferno ordered of Blessing. "You'll drown!"

"Let go of me!" Blessing retorted. "I don't need a tailbone to swim! I want to see the tunnel leading to the Alpha Chamber!" She kicked Monferno back, took a deep breath, and left the Alpha Defense keeping them able to breathe under the lake. Monferno, from within the shield, was about to chase after Blessing when Pelame, Pugno, and Mesprit emerged from the tunnel.

"Blessing, what are you doing?!" Pelame asked. She put a shield around Blessing immediately to replenish her air.

"Easy," Blessing answered. "I got tired of sitting on my broken butt on the sidelines."

"You've been incredibly reckless lately," Pugno noted.

"Oh, tell me about it!" Monferno added.

"Yes, do tell!" shouted someone the group would preferred to have heard the last of. Weavile appeared on the lake's floor, surrounded by a dark shield allowing her to breathe. "They'll be great last words for you!"

Blessing once again let her impulses get the best of her by rushing toward Weavile, abandoning the Alpha Defense that was giving her air. A Demon-type attack hit her instantly before anyone was prepared. Weavile unleashed a vicious flurry of attacks on Blessing, deflecting any attempts by the others to rescue her.

"Alpha Beam!" Monferno shouted, finally finding an opening. While Weavile was staggering, he scooped up the drowning Blessing and teleported everyone away from Weavile.

* * *

Blessing came to, coughing up water. "Why do you keep *gasp* holding me back?!" she demanded in-between gasps for air. "I can take her!"

"Blessing, listen to me, please," Monferno pleaded. "You need to hear this."

"There you are," Uxie greeted. "Come with me. My Alpha gift awaits you."

Pelame and Pugno followed Uxie into the lake.

"Wait!" Blessing shouted. "Let me go with you! I know I'm not part of the Alpha Bloodline, but at least let me see you off. Please!"

"Blessing, you can't do that," Monferno said.

"I know I can't enter! I just want to do something that matters! I'm sick of being helpless! I just want to help!" Blessing sounded desperate and close to tears. "Monferno, if you let me see them off, I'll listen to whatever it is you have to tell me, and I'll stop being reckless. I promise. Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a Stealth Rock in my eye." She held Monferno's hands and looked at him pleadingly. Finally, Monferno nodded.

"Don't move too fast," Monferno said. "I'll be guiding the Alpha Defense along to give you air. Be back the moment your path is blocked. That is, if it's okay with Uxie."

"Of course it is," Uxie confirmed. "I must say, Blessing is quite loyal to her friends. Follow me, then."

Monferno generated an Alpha Defense around Blessing, who had crawled into the water. Uxie led the three deep into the newly restored Fogbound Lake. They reached the very bottom, which had a funnel-shaped opening visible only to members of the Alpha Bloodline.

"This is where we must leave you, Blessing," Uxie said.

"I understand," Blessing responded. "Pelame, Pugno, good luck. And Uxie, thanks. You don't know how much this meant to me." Blessing bolted out of the safety of the Alpha Defense to shake Uxie's hand. He seemed surprised at first, but gently shook back.

"The pleasure's all mine," he responded. "I won't keep your friends for too long."

Unable to speak underwater, Blessing simply nodded. She then returned to the Alpha Defense just as Monferno was moving it upward. Soon, she was back at the lake's shore where he was waiting for her. She crawled ashore to meet up with him.

"Finally," she said. "I got to be the tiniest bit useful. Of the things I hate in the world, being useless, being unable to speak, and use of power for bad things rank at the top of the list. Now, what was it you needed to say to me?"

"Come here, first of all," Monferno said, beckoning her forward. Blessing crawled toward him until she was able to lie down next to him. She rolled over to face Monferno, who was now also lying down.

"You've been acting very reckless, and you need to cut that out," Monferno started. "For crying out loud, you just about got simultaneously bludgeoned and drowned back at Mesprit's lake. Is it really because you felt useless?"

"Of course it is!" Blessing admitted. "With a broken tailbone, what good am I?! If I could just levitate and attack at the same time, things would be different. But no, I can't do that, so I have to sit on my useless, broken butt all the time! For a few more days! Meanwhile, who-knows-what is happening to Grovyle out there, who we still need to find, and we have my mother's murderer to deal with. And speaking of Darkrai, who knows how much of the world he could have conquered by now! Everyone's trying as hard as they can, and I can't do a thing to help! I just want to help them save the world!"

"I promise you'll get a chance to help out. But you need to rest. I can't stress that enough."

"I'm not done yet. I know I can be reckless, I admit that. In fact, I didn't even notice Pelame got secretly implanted with a Dark Blessing because I was too busy thinking of how I was going to kill Darkrai. And then I went off on your parents for getting us away from him, when they were actually nipping a giant problem in the bud. I want them to know that I'm sorry for doing that, but I can't do anything to make up for it."

"That doesn't make you useless, Blessing."

"Yes it does!"

"No it doesn't! It makes you a valuable member of our cause!"

Blessing couldn't respond to that. She was overwhelmed by the sudden admission that she wasn't useless.

"Listen to me, Blessing. You. Are. Not. Useless. Just because you're temporarily physically disabled doesn't mean anything. You can still fight. I've seen you hold out against Weavile as Treasure Town was burning. In fact, you saved Kangaskhan's life. Weavile would have pulled her back into the burning town if it weren't for you."

Blessing couldn't believe she had forgotten about that part.

"And let's not forget that I wouldn't be alive if it weren't for you. And as for the Grey Theatre incident, don't feel guilty about that if you are. There's still a chance to save Grovyle, I know there is. Plus, I heard you managed to _really_ frustrate Weavile and escape from her when she recaptured you."

The Grey Theatre incident… just her luck that he had to bring that up. But he had a point; things could have gone worse. She had a lot to do with it going like it did. Grovyle could very well have not been the only victim.

"Blessing, I want you to know that you are one of the most valuable Pokémon who ever lived. You're a true blessing to all who know you."

Blessing giggled at the small play on words. "How did you know that that's where I got the idea for my nickname?" she asked sweetly.

"Because you just told me right now," Monferno answered dryly, yet genuinely. "It suits you, though. You've blessed my life, anyhow."

"Did I, now?" Blessing quipped playfully. After that, the two simply stared into each others' eyes. They got closer to one another. To their surprise, their lips connected with one another. They were kissing, and they were enjoying every moment of it. The moment was very satisfying. Pleased, they both eventually pulled away.

"Wow, you have a spicy mouth!" Blessing teased at exactly the moment Monferno chose to say, "Wow, you have a chilly mouth!"

* * *

At the bottom of the tunnel was the path to the lake's Alpha Chamber, which Pelame, Pugno, and Uxie finally reached. It became almost a sixth sense to them to assume their intended positions. The chamber glowed gold as soon as everyone was in their place and the statues modified their stances. Once Uxie was in his designated spot, he was ready to give his gift.

"My gift to this Alpha Bloodline Team,  
Complete restoration of the Dimensional Scream.  
The being of Knowledge now makes this request,  
You must undertake this world-saving quest,  
Seek out the other Alpha Shrines on the way,  
to making the Demon-type marauders pay,  
Now accept my gift Pelame and Pugno,  
And off to the other shrines you will then go."

The gift fully assimilated into Pelame and Pugno, completing the initial three blessings and concluding the beginning of their new quest.

"Uxie, thank you for all your help," Pelame said.

"We promise, we'll beat those Demon-types back," Pugno assured.

"Excellent," Uxie responded. "The world is in capable hands, then. As for the remaining Alpha Shrines, they'll be marked on your Wonder Maps. I have done all I can do for you, as have my fellow guardians. The rest is up to you now." The three Pokémon returned to the lake's shore. "I wish you the best of luck in your quest."

"Thanks," Pelame responded. "We won't let you down."

Uxie disappeared beyond the horizon, resuming his job of guarding the lake.

"Blessing, you're looking a lot better," Pugno said, taking note of Blessing's chipper expression.

"Of course," she responded. "We just got a new member. Say hello to Kelvin!"

The Monferno now known as Kelvin simply waved. "Glad to be part of such a marvelous team. And I see you two have learned all of the most important techniques."

"We have," Pelame answered. "I can't wait to tell everyone!"

"Then let's not wait! Alpha Warp!" On Kelvin's initiative, they teleported away from the lake.

* * *

Pelame, Pugno, Blessing, and Kelvin reappeared on Mount Horn, where the rest of the group was waiting for them. They all had sullen expressions on their faces.

"Everyone, what happened?" Pelame asked.

"Darkrai has another top-ranking soldier other than Weavile," Dusknoir said. "And he's a familiar face, just like her."

"Who was it?" Pugno asked.

"I didn't want it to be true," Celebi said, sobbing. "But it is. Darkrai's new top soldier is…"

Celebi spent a moment to recompose herself. It pained her to impart this news. Finally, she was able to bear speaking again, though it upset her greatly to finish her sentence.

"…Grovyle."

* * *

**Suggested music for this chapter:**

**The Alpha Bloodline Theme – The Cave Where the Crystal Lies (Final Fantasy III)**

**Opening the Space Globe – Master Sword (The Legend of Zelda – Skyward Sword)**

**The Alpha Shrine – The Room Where the Crystal Lies (Final Fantasy III)**

**Receiving an Alpha Blessing – Elemental Sanctuary (The Legend of Zelda – The Minish Cap, WindMageMaster's remix)**

**New Alpha Power – Finish Silent Realm Trial (The Legend of Zelda – Skyward Sword)**

**Cornered at Quicksand Lake - Hirogaru Fuan (Digimon Adventure OST)**

**Weavile's Theme – Seymour's Ambition (Final Fantasy X)**

**Monferno Comforts Blessing – Romance Theme Intro to Love (The Legend of Zelda – Skyward Sword)**

**Darkrai's New Top Soldier - Taiketsu (Digimon Adventure OST)**


	9. Chapter 9 - The Comet Approaches

_In the last adventure, the group traveled to the three Lakes in order for Pelame and Pugno to unlock their Alpha Bloodline powers by virtue of a blessing from the Lake Guardians. They did this while on the run from Weavile. Once the blessings were obtained, the group finally reassembled after splitting up. It was then that they learned of Grovyle's fate, that he had become Darkrai's top soldier._

* * *

Chapter 9 – The Comet Approaches

* * *

"Mark my words, Alpha Bloodline," Weavile seethed. "I will wipe you all out single-handedly!"

"There's no need to overwork yourself, Weavile," Darkrai said, approaching her. "Grovyle is on our side now; he'll be a great help to our cause."

Weavile secretly seethed Grovyle's name, though she'd never let her leader know how she felt. "But you have to admit, he's not entirely flawless," she said, not doing too good a job at hiding her animosity. "After all, you had to go to a lot, and I mean a _lot_, of trouble to get him to work for us. On the other hand, I willingly embraced the Dark Blessing when it was given to me."

"That's not what happened at—" Arbok started, only to be silenced by a Demon Orb to the mouth from Weavile.

"You didn't need to ask me to work for you," Weavile continued.

"That's true," Darkrai admitted. "However, he keeps a level head. You don't."

"Why would any of us need a level head to conquer the world?!" Weavile asked a bit louder than she intended. "You, of ALL Pokémon, should know that the world doesn't belong to the smart! It belongs to the strong!"

"It belongs to the capable, Weavile," Darkrai said. "I am the only one in the whole world of Pokémon capable of ruling. The world belongs to me. However, you will all be rewarded for your help once my ambitions have been satisfied. Rest assured of that."

With nothing else to say, Darkrai left Weavile's company to resume infecting Pokémon communities with the Dark Blessing.

"Arbok, Drapion, I'm glad you're here," Weavile said, addressing her team. "I've come to an important decision." Arbok and Drapion were all ears. "I don't need you two anymore. Team AWD is disbanded. Give me your badges."

Arbok and Drapion were taken aback. Their badges levitated into the air by Weavile's command, then disappeared into nothingness.

"But, Lady Weavile,…" Drapion started.

"Shut up, maggot!" Weavile said.

"But we just want to help you,..." Arbok started.

"What makes you think a completely perfect Pokémon like myself needs your help?!" Weavile snapped. "I am the very definition of perfection! I am Darkrai's top soldier! I am actually even better than him! I will be the one to rule the world! You hear me?! I, BLOODSHED, WILL RULE THE WORLD!"

"Lady Weavile, get ahold of yourself!" Arbok responded.

"My name is Bloodshed now!" Bloodshed retorted. "You two get out of my sight before I wipe you out of my world!"

"Lady Weav— I mean, Bloodshed,…" Arbok started. Bloodshed then chased her former teammates out of the castle chamber she was in. "And don't let me ever see you again!" Bloodshed then returned to her room. "Grovyle, you will _not_ take my place."

* * *

The past three nights had given Pelame a lot of trouble. This night was particularly unkind to her after hearing the news she had. Yet another friend lost to the Dark Blessing, the same thing menacing her as she slept. How much suffering was that stupid thing going to cause? Would it ever stop, or would it really overtake the world and corrupt it to fit its intended design? The more she thought about it, the colder she got. She snuggled up against Pugno and Blessing to try to get warm, only to end up making them both colder.

"Hey, are you okay?" Pugno asked, waking with a start.

"No, I'm not," Pelame answered. "The Dark Blessing claimed Grovyle by force, because Darkrai force-fed it to him. But the one that's within me snuck into me when Darkrai demolished Treasure Town. I've already felt its effects. Remember when I screamed at Blessing, Fahrenheit, and Celsius? And when Blessing kept acting reckless while we were receiving Alpha Blessings from the Lake Guardians, I was just about ready to go off on her again." She looked into Pugno's eyes, an expression of fear adorning her face. "Pugno, I'm scared. I don't want to turn evil."

"You won't, Pelame," Pugno assured. "I'll help you as much as I can."

"So will I," Blessing said, having overheard the conversation. "After all, I conquered that stupid Dark Blessing, and look at me now! But, boy did I suffer before I got it under control. That's the kind of torture no living thing should have to go through, and it's bad enough Grovyle had it forced into him. Well, I won't lose another friend to that damn thing. Pugno and I will help you; that's a promise!"

"Thanks, you two," Pelame responded, feeling a warm feeling in her heart that made her stop shivering. "Good night."

"Good night, Pelame," Pugno and Blessing said, getting back to sleep at once.

* * *

Pelame awoke first the next morning. She was as joyful as could be, and she knew that today, she'd find more Alpha Shrines and take the next step to fighting back the Dark Blessing. Nothing was going to ruin her day today.

"Hah, caught up to you at last!" shouted Bloodshed triumphantly. Like Pelame thought, nothing was going to ruin her day today. "Ready to die yet?!"

"Never!" Pelame retorted. "Leave me and my friends alone!" Pelame was joined by all her friends, ready to defeat Weavile easily.

"Attack!" Weavile shouted. Pelame was attacked by Weavile, and then by all her friends.

"Do you understand now?" Pugno asked in a sinister tone. He began to exude an evil aura. "We serve the correct side now."

"You're too weak to be allowed to live in our world any longer, Pelame!" Blessing taunted. "Lady Bloodshed, on your order."

"Kill her," Bloodshed said simply. All the Pokémon did as told, Bloodshed joining in the massacre.

* * *

_"Hi, my name is Pelame! Nice to meet you!"_

_"Coward!"_

_"Wimp!"_

_"Chicken!"_

_"Pansy!"_

_"Go home, loser!"_

_"Quit infecting us with your loser germs!"_

_"Loser!"_

_The crowd of familiar Pokémon Pelame had grown up with chanted "Loser" over and over again. The farther she ran, the louder the taunting got. Finally, she bumped into Pugno._

_"Oh, Pugno! Thank goodness!"_

_Pugno looked back to face her. "Who are you? Never mind, don't tell me, you look like a wimpy loser! Go away, wimpy loser!"_

_The empty black scenery suddenly changed into the Guild's Audience Room._

_"The Guild accepts no wimps!" said Guildmaster Wigglytuff._

_"Off with you, coward!" Chatot taunted._

_Pelame ran upstairs to the Guild's Bulletin Room, where she bumped into Loudred._

_"Yeah, you'd BETTER run, CHICKEN!" he taunted._

_"Chickens can't be Explorers!" Sunflora added._

_The Guild Crew joined together with Pugno to chant "Chicken! Chicken! Chicken!" as Pelame ran out crying._

* * *

**?: Do you want a friend?**

**Pelame: I have friends.**

**?: No you don't.**

**Pelame: Yes I do.**

**?: Do you really?**

**Pelame: Yes I do!**

**?: Then why did they kill you?**

**Pelame: They didn't!**

**?: But they did. You're in the afterlife now.**

**(? reveals himself as a humanoid dark mass. He is the spirit of the afterlife.)**

**Spirit of the Afterlife: Come with me. **

**(He grabs hold of Pelame. She tries to wriggle out of his grip to no avail as he takes her under the ground. The temperature rises to a fever pitch and Pelame's fur catches fire.)**

**Pelame (pained): No! Let go of me! Someone! HELP ME! I DON'T WANT TO GO TO THIS AFTERLIFE! HELP ME, PLEASE!**

**SotA: But you ****_do_**** belong here. Calm yourself.**

**Pelame (in full teary panic): No! I want to live! I want to see my friends again! Pugno, Blessing, Kelvin, Grovyle, Celebi, Dusknoir, Wigglytuff, Chatot, Bidoof, Loudred, Sunflora, Diglett, Dugtrio, Chimecho, Corphish, Croagunk, where are you?!**

**?: Pelame, calm down. It's not so bad down here.**

**(Pelame looks forward to see Loyal standing in front of her.)**

**Loyal: It's lots of fun being dead. Join us, Pelame.**

**(Loyal catches fire and melts into the ground, as does Pelame.)**

* * *

You would have never seen an Eevee be so sad in your life. The poor thing was all alone, not a friend in the world. The poor creature had nothing on her mind but pain. Do you have pain on your mind? What are you thinking of now? What are your thoughts of? Are they happy? Or are they sad?

"Pelame, why aren't you with the other Pokémon?" asked a strange figure.

"They'll hurt me," Pelame answered sadly. "They always do."

"Then they're not worth your time. Play with me then." The figure took Pelame's paw.

"No. I don't want to play! I want to be left alone! I don't want to get hurt!"

"But you won't get hurt. I'll protect you."

"Will you really?"

"Of course. I can protect you, because I _am_ you. You will be me."

Pelame looked at the figure. It was herself, except for the eyes. The eyes were completely dark purple, and an evil aura came out of them, as well as the rest of her body.

You would have never believed before now how loud an Eevee could scream. The poor thing was terrified beyond all reason, resigned completely to fear. Her scream resonated throughout the world. Can you hear it? What are you hearing now? Are you hearing children playing outside, or are you hearing something else? Is it a pleasant sound? Or does it hurt your ears?

* * *

"Well, at least I can stand today," Blessing said, noticing it no longer hurt her to stand up. She tried walking, but only managed to limp. "Though it would be nice to be able to walk normally again."

"You're coming around quickly, Blessing," Kelvin said. "Just remember not to push yourself too hard. That beating you received from Weavile added some time to your recovery. And don't take those bandages off." Kelvin teleported away to somewhere unknown.

"Chimecho, he needs a Team Badge," Blessing said, addressing Chimecho. "Kelvin's a part of Team Space-Time now."

"Well, congratulations!" Chimecho responded happily. "I'll get started on the badge as soon as I can!"

"This is for you, Chimecho." Kelvin said, reappearing with the Explorers Badge Kit in tow. "I went back to the Guild to get some supplies. Luckily, Darkrai's goons missed a few spots when they ransacked the place."

"What was that?" Pelame asked, having just awakened. "What happened to the Guild?" However, as soon as she asked that question, she began to get dizzy again.

"Another unprovoked Dimensional Scream?" Pugno asked, waking up to this sight.

Pelame's vision blacked out, causing her to have another Dimensional Scream vision.

* * *

_"The Demon Comet is approaching," Darkrai declared from what appeared to be a castle's throne room. "Tomorrow, it will be within the planet's atmosphere."_

* * *

As soon as the vision ended, for some peculiar reason, another one started up immediately.

* * *

_"The Demon Comet is almost here," Bloodshed monologued. "If Darkrai thinks he'll be the ruler of the world tomorrow, he's got another thing coming. I, Bloodshed, will show him!"_

* * *

And yet another still came to Pelame upon her recovery from the second vision.

* * *

_"Only now, have I truly won."_

* * *

"Back in the future, when we were tailing Pugno and Grovyle," said the Sableye captain. "We never saw Pugno have any more than one Dimensional Scream vision at a time."

"In all my years, I've never seen anything like this," Dusknoir noted.

"I wonder if this is part of Uxie's Alpha Blessing," Pugno wondered. "His gift was complete restoration of our Dimensional Scream abilities."

"But even still," Dusknoir said. "Three consecutive visions are highly irregular. Would either of you know about this?"

"All we know is that Uxie's gift makes the Dimensional Scream work independently," Fahrenheit said in response to Dusknoir addressing him and his wife with that question. "With his gift, a member of the Alpha Bloodline doesn't need to touch anything in order to trigger the Scream, nor does it require the presence of a trusted partner, though those methods still work, and the latter method serves to provoke the most helpful visions. All that would be needed otherwise is a strong mind, free of all outside thoughts. One only needs to focus."

"But I wasn't doing that," Pelame said. "Those three visions just came to me despite everything you just said. All my friends are here, I think I rolled over Pugno when I woke up, and I had a _lot_ of things on my mind, not the least of which was my nightmare last night."

"That, too, isn't normal," Celsius responded. "And that reminds me; what were your three visions of, Pelame?"

"Well, the first one wasn't really out of the ordinary," Pelame started. "Darkrai was just monologuing as usual. My second vision was Weavile, calling herself 'Bloodshed' for some reason, doing exactly the same thing. But the third vision was the strangest one. I didn't even see anything in that last one."

"Did you hear anything?" Dusknoir asked. "I've known some of Pugno's visions to only have sound without any imagery."

"I didn't hear, either," Pelame answered. "Well, I didn't hear in the sense of my ears picking up the sounds. It's more as though my mind heard it; the words spoke directly to my mind. It said, 'only now, have I truly won.' No voice said it; it just seemed to be a message sent directly to my mind. But it felt like my heart and soul were hearing those words, too. Do those words mean anything to anyone here?"

"No," Blessing said as dryly as possible. "Why would they have any meaning, unless Darkrai's planning on saying that when he thinks he's won?"

"There's something else about those visions that confuse me, though," Pelame continued. "The first two mentioned something called the 'Demon Comet.'"

Fahrenheit and Celsius perked up immediately. "Pardon me?!" they both exclaimed. "Did you just say 'Demon Comet?'"

"Yes," Pelame answered. "I'm thinking that's what my vision was of right before we went to the Grey Theatre."

Fahrenheit and Celsius suddenly took the group into a nearby cave and sealed the entrance with an Alpha Guard.

"Did the visions say how close it was?" Fahrenheit asked, clearly afraid.

"They said it would be in the planet's atmosphere tomorrow," Pelame answered. Fahrenheit and Celsius both looked as though something terrible was going to happen. They knew now was the time to let them all in on the story.

"Everyone, we have something you need to hear," Celsius addressed of the whole group. "We now know what's to blame for what's been going on. Everything from Darkrai's power spike, Bloodshed's personality shift, and Pelame's unprovoked visions. It's the fault of the Demon Comet."

"The Demon Comet is a comet from outer space of unknown origins," Fahrenheit continued. "It comes to this solar system once every now and then. Astronomers have never been able to pinpoint an exact time range; once, it had supposedly visited just one month after its prior visit to that. And after that, it came back after five years. But now, it's back after twenty-eight years. We hoped to have seen the last of it, and for good reason."

"Whenever the Demon Comet passes through this solar system, it brings about chaos and death. Any Pokémon susceptible to evil becomes entranced by it, and motivated to do evil things. And it's not visible until it enters the planet's atmosphere, which would be when it would be too late."

Pelame thought of the Grey Theatre actors. This explanation made a lot of sense to her.

"Any Pokémon infected by the Dark Blessing," Celsius continued. "They become more powerful. The Demon Comet gives a giant power spike to anything Demon-type, at the cost of their sanity. It also makes him or her resistant to purification, which is why we didn't dare try to Purify Pelame last night, for fear of the catastrophic consequence should our suspicions of failure come true. The Dark Blessing residing within her, though it's not visible now, is as potent, if not more, than the one possessing Grovyle. If she is truly the Chosen One, an attempt to Purify the Dark Blessing out of her now, with the Comet so close to us, would be much too risky."

"However, it doesn't make purification impossible. There's still hope for Pelame, Grovyle, and even Bloodshed."

"But what about Blessing?" Kelvin asked. "Shouldn't she be purified?"

"No," Celsius said. "There's no need to purify her, since she did exactly that to the Dark Blessing within herself. It's a part of her now. Plus, she also receives a power spike from the Comet; probably the only benefit of that thing."

"But there's one more part to this story," Fahrenheit continued. "And this is the most troubling. It's been said that if a wielder of the Dark Blessing manages to call the Demon Comet down to the planet's surface using the bell situated atop the Grey Castle's highest turret, the Dark Blessing will put an end to life itself."

"That's what Darkrai's planning, then!" Pelame cried. "He's planning to call the Demon Comet down to the planet using that bell! He thinks it's going to give him the power to rule the world, but it isn't! And Bloodshed doesn't know this, either, even though she's planning to betray him!"

"If that's the case, we won't allow that!" Pugno rallied. "We just need to find this Grey Castle by tomorrow and take Darkrai and Bloodshed out!"

"Sounds doable to me!" Blessing said. "Leave Bloodshed to me!"

"And don't forget about us!" Chatot said. "Guild, does Pelame have our support?!"

"HOORAY!" the Guild crew shouted in response.

"I will assist you, too," Dusknoir offered. "I've come to appreciate the world thanks to Grovyle. I won't allow it all to end on Darkrai's unknowing whim!"

"We're with you, Lord Dusknoir!" said the Sableye soldiers.

"And in Grovie's place will be me!" Celebi added. "We'll get him back while we're at it! We'll save Grovie and the whole world all in one go!"

"Sounds like we're ready for one hell of a rumble," Blessing noted. "Shall we get going, then?"

"Not yet," Kelvin said. "Pelame and Pugno still have Alpha Blessings to receive."

"That's correct," Celsius added. "They can't take on Darkrai, especially when he's powered up by the Demon Comet, as they currently are."

"But we don't have the time for that!" Blessing said. "It's already turned from morning to the afternoon, and the Comet will be close enough for Darkrai to call tomorrow! Can't they afford to miss a few of those Alpha Blessings?!"

"No, Blessing, they can't!" Fahrenheit said grimly. "They won't even be able to enter the Grey Castle as they are! An aura generated by the Dark Blessing protects the castle, repelling all who try to enter. Only skilled Alpha Bloodline members and those infected by the Dark Blessing can enter the castle!"

"CRUD!" Loudred bellowed. "WE can't enter?!"

"Hey, hey, even if we can't, we can still help!" Corphish said.

"We could secure the grounds so they can enter, by golly," Bidoof suggested.

"Not to sound rude, but we can't waste any time!" Pelame suddenly snapped. "Pugno, let's go track down the remaining Alpha Shrines! We can't let Darkrai win!"

"Right behind you, Pelame," Pugno answered. Without another moment wasted, they teleported away.

"Well, now what?" Blessing asked. "At least those two got their priorities straight, but what should we do?"

"Simple," Kelvin answered. "Track down the Grey Castle. It never stays in one spot for more than a day. Once we find it, we can alert Pelame and Pugno to its whereabouts. If we stay on its grounds, we'll be transported along with it when it moves again."

"We're doing that, then," Chatot said. "All right, let's get to work!"

"HOORAY!" shouted the Guild crew.

* * *

"What did you just say?" asked Lopunny, keeping her guard up. Arbok and Drapion had Team Charm seemingly cornered in the middle of the Mystifying Forest.

"Is it so hard for you to accept that we need your help?!" Drapion said, getting frustrated with the beautiful trio of Master-rank Explorers.

"Please, we're begging you," Arbok said, starting to sob. "At least, I am. Our boss is going crazy! She thinks she can betray Darkrai and snatch the Demon Comet from him! But she'll be killed if she tries that, and we don't want her to die! We want her to go back the way she was, back to being the thief with standards! Please, help us!"

The three members of Team Charm didn't know what to make of the scene unfolding before them. Team AWD wasn't known for being so sentimental. At least, Weavile wasn't, but it also wasn't like Weavile to rename herself Bloodshed and disband her own team. The three deliberated with each other about what to do. Soon, they came to a decision.

"We can't help you," Medicham said.

"However, we know someone who can," Gardevoir added.

"Follow us, and we'll take you to them," Lopunny finished.

"Oh, thank you so much!" Arbok and Drapion groveled. "You don't know how much this means to us!"

* * *

**Suggested music for this chapter:**

**Bloodshed's Theme – Seymour's Ambition (Final Fantasy X)**

**Pelame's Nightmare – Jiha Kyokai (Neon Genesis Evangelion OST)**

**Explanation of what the Demon Comet Is- Time Compression (Final Fantasy VIII)**

**Off to Save the World – Frog's Theme (Chrono Trigger)**


	10. Chapter 10 - One Day Remains

_In the last adventure, everyone was told about the dreaded Demon Comet. As it turns out, the Demon Comet not only caused the most recent events to be possible, but it's also the basis of Darkrai's ultimate plan of world conquest, not knowing what calling the Comet down will actually do to the world. Our heroes are unfortunately unprepared to deal with this threat. Only one day remains until the Comet is within Darkrai's reach. Time grows short for our heroes…_

* * *

Chapter 10 – One Day Remains

* * *

"We need an Alpha Blessing, stat!" Pelame frantically demanded of Dialga. "The Demon Comet's coming, and we need every last—"

"Pelame, calm down!" Pugno chastised. He turned and addressed Dialga. "Sorry, sir. She just wants what's best for the world."

"I UNDERSTAND," Dialga assured. "I AM AWARE OF THE DEMON COMET'S IMPENDING ARRIVAL, AND I SHALL INDEED PREPARE YOU BOTH TO PUT AN END TO IT. FOLLOW ME."

In response to the glow of the red jewel on Dialga's chest, the panel holding the five Time Gears folded into the ground and extended out of the tower, revealing itself to be an elevator. The three Pokémon got on it. As they rode it down, Pelame stomped on it in a futile attempt to make it go faster, despite it reaching its destination in only fifteen seconds. The stop was the cliff about three feet below the base of Temporal Tower. Dialga stepped forward, and the rock face responded to the glowing red jewel by sinking into the ground, revealing a tunnel. Pelame rushed inside just before the slab finished disappearing into the ground. Pugno followed after her, though not as hurriedly as she had entered. Dialga patiently followed the two of them.

"I HAVE ALWAYS KNOWN THERE WAS SOMETHING SPECIAL ABOUT YOU TWO," Dialga said, having caught up to the two Explorers who had already taken their spots within the Alpha Sigil on the floor. "I MUST SAY I'M PROUD TO BESTOW THIS GIFT TO YOU. I'M SURE YOU WILL PUT IT TO GOOD USE."

Dialga stood in the back of the chamber, glowing gold and lighting everything up. The statues above the Sigil took on their new poses as Dialga spoke.

"MY GIFT TO THIS ALPHA BLOODLINE TEAM,  
TO HELP KEEP THE WORLD FROM COMING APART AT THE SEAM.  
FROM THE MASTER OF TEMPORAL TOWER,  
AN UPGRADE TO YOUR RAW ALPHA BLOODLINE POWER.  
WITH THIS WITH YOU, MORE SHIRNES YOU MUST FIND,  
TO RESTORE THE ALPHA POWER TO YOUR HEART, SOUL, AND MIND.  
NOW ACCEPT MY GIFT PELAME AND PUGNO,  
AND OFF TO THE REMAINING SHRINES YOU GO!"

After the gift was passed on, Pelame teleported herself and Pugno away before anything else could be said or done.

"GOOD LUCK TO YOU BOTH," Dialga said. "AND PELAME, PLEASE DON'T LET THE DARK BLESSING TAKE YOU."

* * *

"There it is," Kelvin said. "We've found it. The Grey Castle."

The remaining group consisting of Team Temperature, the Wigglytuff Guild crew, Celebi, Dusknoir, and Blessing had at last located Darkrai's base of operations. The Grey Castle was situated on top of the Aegis Ruins. Its size overwhelmed the ruins and practically crushed them underneath it. The castle's design was nothing like anyone had ever seen. "Uneven" was the term that came to everyone's minds, referring to the main tower looking unfinished, and the castle appearing to be missing its entire left side. All of its main structures appeared to be leaning to the right, including the bell tower. As its name implied, the castle was colored grey.

As anticipated, none of the Pokémon (besides Team Temperature, Kelvin, and Blessing) could approach the Castle without being blasted back by a mysterious force. The Dark Blessing was protecting the castle.

"Don't worry," Guildmaster Wigglytuff said. "We'll keep watch. Everyone, get out your Vanish Seeds." On the Guildmaster's order, the Guild crew ate their Vanish Seeds and turned invisible. Celebi and Dusknoir used their own natural powers to hide themselves. The four who could get past the Dark field entered the castle without being detected.

The only light available to the four Pokémon were the lights generated by the Alpha Amulets. From what they could see, the castle was kept up well enough. At least, nothing was broken. Some of the pictures looked a bit macabre. Blessing stared at one mural in particular that depicted a formless matter with eight wings extending from it. The wings resembled thorn bushes and they looked grotesque. Blessing couldn't help but get an intimidated feeling from seeing it.

"Blessing, don't lag," Celsius said, bringing her focus back to the mission on hand.

"What were you looking at?" Kelvin asked.

"You know, I can't even put it into words," Blessing answered. "But, for some reason, it scares me to look at it. You know what I mean?"

"Not really," Kelvin said with as much sympathy as he could manage. "But you have nothing to fear, Blessing. Whatever you're afraid of, we'll take care of it together."

"Yeah, you're right," Blessing responded. She looked up and smiled at Kelvin. "Nothing we can't handle, right? Those Demon-types will be at our mercy!"

"Right!" Kelvin agreed. He gave a quick kiss to Blessing's cheek. She brought her hand up to where she was kissed and giggled.

"Yeah, laugh it up!" shouted a Pokémon. "At least it's better than hearing Lady Bloodshed laugh. I can't wait to see the look on her face when she finds that I was the one to finish you whelps off!" The Pokémon revealed himself to be Skuntank.

"I don't think she'll be surprised to see you covered in bruises," Blessing retorted. "Bring it, smelly."

* * *

"—NOW ACCEPT MY GIFT PELAME AND PUGNO,  
AND OFF TO THE REMAINING SHRINES YOU GO!"

Palkia had finished bestowing his gift to Pelame and Pugno. The two felt as though they could withstand any Demon attack thrown at them.

"I'M IMPRESSED WITH YOUR PROGRESS, YOU TWO," Palkia said. "ONLY TWO MORE AND YOU'LL BE READY. IT'S NEARLY MIDNIGHT, SO I SUGGEST YOU GET A MOVE ON. TOMORROW'S—"

"If you'd _let_ us, we _COULD_ get moving!" Pelame snapped.

"Pelame, cut that out!" Pugno chastised. "We'll be ready for the Comet tomorrow. But you shouldn't act like this to the ones who are helping us out!"

"We're wasting time!" Pelame retorted. "Lollygag if you want; I'm heading to the World Abyss to receive Giratina's gift! Now if you'll excuse me, Alpha Warp!" Pelame made good on her word and teleported away.

"Please don't be angry at her," Pugno said to Palkia. "Darkrai snuck a Dark Blessing into her, and the Comet is—"

"YES, I KNOW," Palkia responded. "THE COMET IS AFFECTING HER, AND SHE WANTS TO STOP IT. FOR HER SAKE, YOU BOTH MUST SUCCEED IN THIS MISSION. FOLLOW HER. SHE'S AT THE WORLD ABYSS NOW."

"Understood," Pugno said. "Thanks, sir." He then teleported after Pelame.

* * *

"Heart Stopper!" Skuntank shouted, releasing a bolt of evil lightning from his eyes. Blessing caught the attack and threw it back at Skuntank. Being hit didn't faze him at all, but an Alpha Blast from Kelvin did.

"Absolute Zero!" shouted Zubat, entering the fray. His icy attack failed to hit its target, freezing the walls instead. A quick Blast Burn from Fahrenheit melted the ice and took Zubat down in one shot.

"Diabolic Inferno!" shouted Koffing, avenging his fallen teammate by roasting Fahrenheit with his attack. He only served to distract himself from Celsius's Focus Punch, which had him down instantly, leaving Skuntank as the only remaining opponent. He refused to go down easily.

"Sheesh, I almost know how Lady Bloodshed feels," Skuntank moaned. "Fine, then. I wanted to do this myself anyway. Malevolent Miasma!"

From the tip of his tail, Skuntank sprayed an evil mist at the four intruders. To his shock, it had no effect. He had expected them to instantly choke to death. However, the entire cloud of mist exploded once it touched Kelvin's tail flame, right when he was getting ready to attack. Fahrenheit brought up an Alpha Guard just in time to shield everyone from the explosion. When it was safe, the shield was let down. Kelvin got himself ready to attack once more.

"I hear you've given Team Space-Time trouble before," he said to Skuntank. "I'm part of that Team now, so let's settle this."

"I'm with you, Kelvin!" Blessing said, stepping forward to flank her fellow teammate. "I'm part of Team Space-Time, too! Skuntank, you're history!"

"Well, then, let's get started," Skuntank urged. "Hope you can handle more than a Putrid Stream!" Out of Skuntank's evil aura came a flood of an indescribable toxic liquid, which Kelvin blocked immediately.

"Mom, Dad, take Skuntank's teammates away from here!" Kelvin said. "Blessing and I can handle the stinker himself!"

"Understood, son," Celsius said.

"They'll be back to normal by the time you're done," Fahrenheit added. "Catch up to us when you're done!" With that, the two were off with the two incapacitated Team Skull members. Skuntank did nothing to try to stop them, instead focusing entirely on his two remaining opponents.

"Two on one, smelly," Blessing taunted. "But you never had a chance anyway, even if you had your cohorts with you. Ice Beam!" Skuntank's Flamethrower attack couldn't deter the Demon-type enhanced Ice Beam coming from Blessing. The odorous fiend was hit directly, but he quickly thawed himself out of the ice, only to be slugged in the face by Kelvin's Focus Punch.

"That was for trying to drown me," Kelvin said.

Skuntank could no longer stand, nor did he have any more energy to fight. Against his will, he collapsed.

"Well, that was anti-climactic," Blessing remarked. "I can't believe Pelame and Pugno once lost to this smelly amateur."

"He must have cheated," Kelvin responded. "Just like he tried to do earlier. Let's take him prisoner with us. Mom and Dad can take care of him, too."

"Gotcha." Blessing had just finished tying Skuntank up with her Energy Threads. She then kicked him straight in the jaw. "That's for your hand in the Grey Theatre incident! That'll teach you to gag me!"

"But he wasn't the one who—"

"Who cares?! I hate being gagged, even if it's by your hand!" Blessing realized how harsh that last part sounded. "Sorry."

"I understand. And I'm sorry for silencing you that time. But anyway, my parents are waiting in the crew bedroom below this hall. Follow me; I'll track their location."

"On my way. I've got our hostage."

The two were off to meet up with Fahrenheit and Celsius.

* * *

The Treeshroud Forest looked just as peaceful at one hour until midnight as it did in the afternoon. Pelame was taking in none of it like she normally would have. She and Pugno had finally reached the spot of their final Alpha Blessing, soon to be bestowed on them by a Celebi they both assumed was the ancestor of the Celebi who was helping track down the Grey Castle.

"I've never seen a green Celebi before," Pugno said.

"Yes, green is our natural color," said the Celebi. "Some are pink, such as my descendant. She telepathically told me you two were coming."

"I hope she told you to get this over with quickly!" Pelame snapped. "The Demon Comet's coming tomorrow! Hurry up already!"

"I know," Celebi responded calmly. "It's this way." Celebi guided Pelame and Pugno to a random pond in the forest. The two explorers were able to stand on the water as though it were the ground. Once they reached Celebi, the three sunk into the pond. At the very far bottom was the Alpha Shrine. The water was unable to leak into the Shrine.

"I'm proud of the both of you for your progress," Celebi said. "Soon, everything will be just the way it was. The world will be just like—"

"WE KNOW HOW PEACEFUL THE WORLD WILL BE, DAMN IT! **GET ON WITH IT ALREADY!"** Pelame screamed at the top of her lungs. Pugno and Celebi stared at Pelame in shock, just as she herself realized the gravity of her behavior up to this point. Her eyes filled up with tears. "…what's wrong with me?" she whimpered.

"You should have come to me sooner," Celebi said. "Cresselia's gift has been given to me in light of her mysterious death. I will actually be bestowing two gifts to the both of you."

"Please, help me," Pelame begged of Celebi. She and Pugno took their spots within the Alpha Sigil. Celebi assumed her spot atop the touching weapons held by the statues.

"My gifts to this Alpha Bloodline Team,  
to foil the Dark Blessing's twisted dream.  
Improved resistance to the Dark Blessing's manipulative ways,  
and the strength to bring light back to these dark days.  
You now have no Shrines left to find,  
The Alpha Bloodline's power is completely restored to your heart, soul, and mind.  
Now accept my gifts, Pelame and Pugno,  
And off to stop the Demon Comet you go!"

The whole chamber took on a golden glow as the words were spoken. Pelame and Pugno had finally received all the Alpha Blessings, and were ready to save the world.

"Thanks, Celebi," Pelame said. "I'm so sorry for snapping at you. Please let the others know how sorry I am, too."

"I shall," Celebi responded. "I am aware of what befell you five days ago. The Dark Blessing's followers have been chasing you for the past week or so, I gathered."

"But now, we can beat them," Pugno added. "Thanks to you and the other Legendaries, that is."

"That's right," Pelame added. "We won't let you down. That's a promise! We'll be seeing you!"

"Good luck to the both of you," Celebi said.

Pelame and Pugno ascended out of the Shrine with the Alpha Bridge ability they learned from Regigigas. They hunkered down in a nearby cave in the Treeshroud Forest and put up an Alpha Guard around the area they made camp.

"This should last all night," Pelame said. "We can't oversleep, Pugno."

"I know," Pugno said. "We can't take liberties just because our friends already infiltrated the Grey Castle. I just received word of that now; Blessing and Kelvin defeated Team Skull while we received Celebi's gifts."

"Well, we should congratulate them when we catch up to them. Good night, Pugno."

"Good night, Pelame. Sleep well, my love."

The two Pokémon drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"I've got the leader," Blessing declared triumphantly upon entering the bedroom Fahrenheit and Celsius had made themselves at home in. The entire room was guarded by an Alpha Guard field, preventing any of the enemies from entering without permission. "I'll leave him with his loser friends." She dumped him near Zubat and Koffing.

"You fools think you can stop Darkrai from conquering the world?!" Skuntank shouted. "He will crush all of you!"

"Speaking of Darkrai," Kelvin said. "You three will no longer be serving him. Mom, Dad, they're ready for you to do the honors."

Fahrenheit and Celsius approached Team Skull, Alpha Amulets in hand. The two Infernapes touched the Amulets against the three Pokémon; Fahrenheit's Amulet touching Koffing and Skuntank, and Celsius's Amulet touching Zubat and Skuntank.

"You three are no longer slaves to the Dark Blessing!" they both said. "Alpha Purify!"

The entire room glowed with a pure white light. Once the light faded, Team Skull lie there, dazed.

"You three should never ever return here," Celsius said. "We're sending you somewhere where you'll be safe." On those words, Team Temperature's founders teleported Team Skull out of the Grey Castle.

"Everything is set now," Fahrenheit said. "I sense that Pelame and Pugno have finished receiving Alpha Blessings. We should get some rest. We'll all be ready by tomorrow to stop Darkrai from summoning the Demon Comet."

"I've let Pelame and Pugno know that we're here," Kelvin said. "We're really all ready for tomorrow, then?"

"Yes we are," Celsius answered. "Good night, son." Fahrenheit and Celsius settled into a nearby bed and went to sleep. Kelvin and Blessing took the only other bed in the room. Blessing picked up a red and yellow scarf from the room's closet.

"Say, Blessing, I noticed something earlier," Kelvin said. "You were moving just fine earlier while we were fighting Skuntank."

"Hey, you're right!" Blessing responded joyfully. "It didn't even hurt me to fight. That reminds me. Wait here; I'll be right back."

Kelvin took Blessing's leave as an opportunity to straighten out a spot on the bed he had picked.

* * *

Blessing had just left the lavatory's shower, having already removed her bandages. She then decided to climb into the bathtub, just to relax a bit. She felt as though she needed it. The tub was big enough to fit a Snorlax, so she was able to float at the deep end. The water was a comfortable temperature. Even an Ice-type Pokémon like herself needed some heat every now and then. She sunk under the water and looked up to the surface from the bottom of the tub. She rushed to the surface in surprise of who she saw when she looked up.

"Kelvin!" she gasped. "What are—"

"Quiet…" Kelvin whispered, putting his hand over Blessing's mouth. She glared at him for a moment. Then, before Kelvin could pull his hand away, Blessing grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him into the tub and under the water with her. They both rushed to the surface.

"Blessing," Kelvin whispered. "What in the world are you doing?! You know where we are, don't you?"

"Of course," Blessing answered, keeping her voice down. "In Bloodshed's private bathroom. I'd love to see the look on her face when she finds that I used her private toilet."

"My goodness! It's like you _want_ her to kill you! Not that she stands a chance against you, but still."

"Darn right she stands no chance against me. I can't wait until I kick her butt."

The two Pokémon rested against the side of the tub. Blessing turned around and rested on the side, chin-first. She then felt a pair of hands on her shoulders. Kelvin's hands started kneading on her shoulders.

"So, you were physically tense, too," he quipped. "You really ought to take it easy."

"Yeah, sure, I guess," Blessing responded. "Us Dark-types sure don't have much reason to—ooh, right there, that's good—much reason to relax. It's just part of being a Sneasel, I guess. I know it—YES! Right there! Keep going!—I know it makes absolutely no sense, but there you go. Plus, all that stupid stuff that's been going on, seeing my mother's murderer alive, and, well, you know where I'm going with this."

"Oh, totally. But look at it this way: everything will be dealt with tomorrow. All will finally be well again."

"Yeah, I guess so. And you know, it's been an exciting ride. And one more thing; I saved your life the one time. You don't think you're indebted to me, are you? Because you don't have to keep doing all this for me. I mean, I do kinda love you, too, but…"

"You just have a different way of showing it."

"Yes. Exactly that. And by the way, I'm relaxed now. So you can stop." Kelvin did as told. "Thanks for the massage, by the way. Man, was that a refresher. But really, there's no need for you to pamper me like a bad parent spoils their child."

"All right, I get it. Besides, we've spent too much time here. We should get to bed. We've got a busy day ahead of us tomorrow."

The two Pokémon emptied the tub and climbed out and returned to the room the group had picked out. Kelvin got into the spare bed and prepared a spot for Blessing.

"Glad to see you're all better, honey," was all Kelvin said as Blessing climbed into the bed. "Good night."

"Good night, Kelvin. And also…" Blessing leaned forward to kiss Kelvin on the right cheek. "Good night."

The two lovers were asleep in seconds.

* * *

"Hey! What are you two doing up here?!" Chatot squawked.

Team Temperature, Kelvin, and Blessing were awakened by Chatot's loud question. They all came to a horrible realization all at once.

"Hey! The Grey Castle's gone!" Kelvin shouted.

"But we were supposed to go with it when we slept in it!" Blessing added. "Did we get kicked back onto the Aegis Ruins?!"

"Looks like it," Celsius said, surveying the surroundings and finding that they were indeed on top of the Aegis Ruins.

"Oh, this is bad!" Celebi said. "We have to find the Grey Castle again, and quickly!"

"We had better get a move on, then," Dusknoir added, pointing to the sky. Everyone looked up to where Dusknoir was pointing. A pitch-black object was visible in the morning sky, and it was quickly approaching the planet. The Demon Comet had entered the planet's atmosphere.

* * *

**Suggested music for this chapter:**

**The Grey Castle Gate – Magus's Castle (Chrono Trigger)**

**Inside the Grey Castle – Confusing Melody (Chrono Trigger)**

**Team Temperature vs Team Skull – Boss Battle 1 (Chrono Trigger)**

**Blessing and Kelvin Relaxing – Happy End (Digimon Adventure OST)**

**The Demon Comet Enters the Atmosphere – Taiketsu (Digimon Adventure OST)**

* * *

**A/N: That bathtub scene might be the shippiest thing I ever wrote. Well, that was fun. I hope you had fun reading that, because all the fun ends here.**


	11. Chapter 11 - Claws Against Claws

_In the last adventure, Pelame and Pugno went off to claim the remaining Alpha Blessings. The rest of the group managed to locate the Grey Castle, which was then situated on top of the Aegis Ruins. Only Team Temperature, Kelvin, and Blessing could enter. The four handily overpowered Team Skull and cleansed the Dark Blessing out of them. However, despite sleeping inside the castle, they awakened on top of the Aegis Ruins without any clues as to where the castle disappeared to. There is now only just less than half a day until the Demon Comet arrives._

* * *

Chapter 11 – Claws Against Claws

* * *

"I can't pinpoint the Castle's new whereabouts!" Celsius said with concern.

"Pardon me?" Pelame said, having just arrived with Pugno to meet up with the rest of the group. "We followed your Alpha Signal here. Didn't you say the Grey Castle was here?"

"It was yesterday," Fahrenheit answered. "It never stays in one place for longer than a day. I thought if a few of us spent the night in the castle, we'd be taken within it to its new location when it moved."

"But I guess Darkrai thought ahead," Kelvin added. "Either that, or the Dark Blessing itself is more intuitive than we all thought."

"Evidently, it kicked us all out when it moved," Blessing added. "We woke up on top of the Aegis Ruins."

"Basically, we're BACK to square one," Loudred complained.

"And if we don't catch up to the Grey Castle again," Celebi added. "Well, just look up there." Celebi pointed to the Demon Comet in the sky. As Pelame and Pugno got a look at it, they got an idea. They shut their eyes and focused on the thought of the Dark Blessing. Just as they hoped, a Dimensional Scream vision came to them.

* * *

_Darkrai was situated at the Grey Castle's Bell Platform, ready to toll the bell at the precise moment. A zone defense was arranged all throughout the castle. The castle itself was floating over the planet._

* * *

"Did you two self-induce a Dimensional Scream vision just now?" Dusknoir asked.

Pelame and Pugno didn't answer. Their minds were in perfect synchronization with one another. They turned around, facing the path to the Ruins. They held up their Alpha Amulets to the sky.

"Alpha Bridge," they said. A gold light shone forth from the Amulets. A narrow beam shot out to the horizon, striking something. Once it hit its mark, the light transformed into a walkway.

"It's floating above Treasure Town," Pugno said. "We've found the Grey Castle."

"We'll make good time if we take this Alpha Bridge there," Pelame added. "Is everyone ready? There's no turning back once we start on our way."

"WAIT A MOMENT!" someone shouted.

"Lopunny?" Guildmaster Wigglytuff said in surprise.

"These two wish to accompany us with you," Medicham said, gesturing toward Arbok and Drapion. "They want to rescue their former Team Leader."

"But first, Purify us," Arbok said. "We don't want the Dark Blessing anymore, not after seeing what it did to Lady Weavile."

"We don't want Bloodshed," Drapion added. "We just want to see our boss the way she used to be."

"Very well, then," Fahrenheit answered. "Celsius, you Purify Drapion. I'll Purify Arbok."

The two Infernapes touched the two former Team AWD members with their Alpha Amulets. "Alpha Purify," they said, generating a white light that engulfed both themselves and the former rogues. "Upon your request, you are no longer the Dark Blessing's tools!" When the light dissipated, Arbok and Drapion were back to normal. After that was done, everything was set.

"All right, everyone," Pelame said, addressing all the Pokémon with her. "It's now or never. Either we stop the Demon Comet, or we die trying. But I know we're going to succeed. I promised all the Legendary Pokémon that the Demon Comet would be stopped, and I'm in no mood to let them down. So, are you all ready for the grandest mission of our lives?"

"You don't need to ask me, Pelame," Pugno answered. "I was born ready."

"You can count on me," Dusknoir said. "Darkrai won't get away with this."

"He'll pay for what he did to Grovyle," Celebi added.

"Well, Guild? Shall we?" Chatot asked.

"Of course!" shouted all the Guild crew.

"All right, then, on Pelame's signal, we're off," Chatot responded.

"In that case, let's get going!" Pelame said, giving the cue. "Alpha Platform!" A round platform of light bearing an Alpha Sigil appeared in front of the group.

"Here we go! We're off to save the world!" Chatot said.

"HOORAY!" shouted the Guild crew. All the Pokémon boarded the platform, and it started on its course to the Grey Castle.

It would be a while before the platform reached the castle, leaving time to talk.

"So, what was that you did to Arbok and Drapion?" Pugno asked.

"Oh, right, you did the same thing to Team Skull," Blessing noted. "Mind filling us in? All we know is that that ability is apparently called 'Alpha Purify.'"

"And it does exactly that," Celsius said. "It cleanses evil out of a Pokémon, whether it be the Dark Blessing or another cause. Its partner ability is 'Alpha Atone,' which should only be used on those who refuse to see reason. After that, it's easier to Purify a Pokémon if it has to come to that. However, Alpha Atone doesn't always have to be used on possessed Pokémon; in fact, Fahrenheit and I used it on some of the most horrible outlaws. I actually have that ability to thank for how I am now. If Fahrenheit hadn't used it on me, I'd still be just like…" Celsius came to a tragic realization. "…Bloodshed."

Blessing unbelievably found herself pitying Bloodshed in light of hearing Celsius's last few words. "What exactly does that 'Atone' ability do, and why is it only to be used on the worst criminals?" she asked.

"That ability is quite a piece of work," Fahrenheit said. "It is only to be used on the absolute worst criminals for a _very_ good reason. Whoever that ability is used on feels all the pain and suffering he or she caused. Not a single evil deed is spared. For example, if Arbok here had made an attempt on someone's life with his Wrap attack, the 'Alpha Atone' technique would make him feel like he was being crushed by a Wrap attack."

"When Fahrenheit used it on me," Celsius added. "I felt every bad thing I had done; all the bludgeoning, near-drownings, stranglings, and many more. I felt as though all of that was happening to me at once, and it taught me my mistakes. I had never been so ashamed in my life; I even begged the judge to have me executed when my trial ended with a mere jail sentence. Once I got out of jail, I returned to Fahrenheit, and then we got married. And about five years ago, we had Kelvin."

"That's amazing!" Pelame said. "And that's all thanks to that 'Alpha Atone' ability, huh?" Pelame's happiness ended when she dwelled on that thought. "Am I going to have to use that today, like on Bloodshed or Grovyle?"

"On Grovyle, most likely not," Fahrenheit said. "But on Bloodshed, that could very well be the case."

"That's going to really hurt her," Arbok said. "But it won't kill her, will it? Because she killed a few of Darkrai's soldiers, about five of them, just for calling her by her real name."

"No, it won't kill her," Celsius said. "However, she'll feel the sensation of death five simultaneous times. Were they quick deaths?"

"Absolutely not," Drapion said. "She Fury Swiped them all to death, except the last one. For the last one, she used Guillotine, an attack I'm pretty sure her kind can't learn."

"Oh, dear," Fahrenheit said. "That is _not_ going to be pleasant for her. To feel the sensation of your own head being chopped off, and your body sliced to bits; try to avoid using that ability if possible. It won't kill her, but it could make her go irreparably insane. It could put her in a vegetative state."

"How about if you just don't use that ability at all?!" Arbok snapped. "Settle for Purifying her!"

"But she's not going to take that lying down," Drapion noted. "She'll have to be weakened first."

"In that case, leave her to me," Blessing volunteered. "Kelvin can do the honors when I defeat her. Besides, I've been itching to put her in her place."

"Kelvin can use that Purify power?" Pugno asked.

"Yes, he can," Celsius answered. "That ability can be used by any member of the Alpha Bloodline. The ones who have the best chance at success are those whose own heart, mind, and soul can resist corruption. You see, when one uses 'Alpha Purify,' the Dark Blessing will put up a final resistance, and it is possible for it to win the struggle. As it's being cleansed out of a victim, it will attempt to corrupt both the victim and the Pokémon doing the Purifying. If that happens, the heart, mind, and soul of both the Pokémon being Purified and the Pokémon doing the Purifying will be completely destroyed."

"Is that why you never tried to cleanse that Dark Blessing out of Pelame?" Pugno asked. "Is it strong enough to destroy you both completely?"

"That's a possibility, considering what the Demon Comet had to do with it," Fahrenheit answered. "Worse still, if we found out we wouldn't be able to win the struggle and quit prematurely, the victim will remain corrupted forever, with no hope of ever getting rid of the Dark Blessing. We didn't want to take the chance of condemning Pelame to that fate."

"I see," Pugno responded.

"Then I'll just live with this Dark Blessing," Pelame said with a tone of finality. "If the Demon Comet is going to make certain of your destruction if you try to Purify me, then just forget about it. I'll control it, just like what Blessing did with her Dark Blessing."

"Are you sure about that?" Dusknoir asked. "You know what it can do to you, don't you?"

"She's made her mind up," Blessing said, supporting Pelame. "I can help her cope with her Dark Blessing. Remember that I had to go through that once, and look at me now. I'll make sure Pelame doesn't end up like… Bloodshed. Or, should I say, Weavile."

At that moment, the platform stopped in the middle of nowhere. They were situated above Treasure Town, where the Grey Castle was said to be.

"Why did we stop?" Arbok asked. "We're not there yet."

"Actually, we are," Pelame said. "Alpha Reveal." A small orb of light shot out of Pelame's Alpha Amulet and hit something invisible in front of them. The Grey Castle became visible to everyone.

"Alpha Dispel," Pugno said, sending in another light to the castle. The protection going around and throughout the castle disappeared.

"All right, everyone, here's the plan," Pelame said. "Once we step off this platform, be prepared for anything. The plan is to rescue Grovyle and stop Darkrai from summoning the Demon Comet, and hopefully stop the Comet itself. Expect Darkrai and his soldiers to try anything to hinder us. Everyone should be able to enter the castle just fine since Pugno dissipated the protective Dark Blessing field from all throughout the castle. Pugno, Dusknoir, Celebi, and I will go for Darkrai. The rest of you take out the zone defense and catch up to us once you're done with them. And Blessing, Weavile will be your job. Kelvin, Purify Weavile once Blessing defeats her in battle, then the both of you catch up to us. Does everyone understand?"

"Got it!" everyone responded.

"Then let's save the world!" Pelame said, sounding the call to duty. Everyone stepped off the platform and onto the continent the Grey Castle was floating on. At the entrance to the castle, Bloodshed was waiting.

"We can't use Alpha Bridge to get to the Bell Tower," Pugno said. "Something's keeping the Bridge from reaching the top. We're going to have to do this the hard way. Blessing, Kelvin, good luck."

"You're cute if you think I'm letting any of you in," Bloodshed taunted. Blessing teleported behind her and put her in a full-nelson hold, allowing everyone except Kelvin, Arbok, and Drapion to enter the castle.

"Failed already," Blessing taunted. "That's a new record for you. Now, I'll humiliate you even further."

Bloodshed broke out of Blessing's hold. The two faced each other down. They circled one another like a pair of Mightyena getting ready for the kill.

"I see you're back to form," Bloodshed taunted.

"Of course," Blessing responded. "You didn't think I'd sit on my butt forever, did you?"

"To be honest, that's what I would have preferred. Actually, I'd prefer you and your friends stayed out of my way forever. I'd have conquered this stupid world by now if you all would have just dropped dead the first time I caught up to you!"

"Still think you have a chance against Darkrai, huh? Still think you're so good and powerful that you can pick off your own boss, who, need I remind you, is the so-called master of the Dark Blessing? Face it, Weavile; the only thing you're fit to rule is an Exploration Team of thieves. Oh, wait; you disbanded your Team under your own delusions of grandeur!"

"And you think holding on to your stupid friends makes you the strongest one here?! Sorry to break this to you, but only those who know how to use power properly has the right to have it! Nothing holds me back; no friends, no family, no conscience!"

"I think you'll find that that's exactly what's wrong with you."

"Then I bet you won't mind putting our power to the test. Dark Blessing against Dark Blessing!"

"Fine by me! I'd be more than happy to humiliate you in front of your home turf!"

The two turned their backs to each other and took ten steps away. At ten steps, they turned back to face each other. The two gave each other glares that could kill if they were weapons.

"This time, I won't break your tailbone; I'll break your neck," Bloodshed challenged.

"By the time we're done, the only thing broken will be your ego," Blessing responded.

The two charged at each other, claws first, opening with a Demon-enhanced Slash attack. Neither competitor took a substantial amount of damage, though this served to demonstrate their power to one another, letting them both know how much of a fight the other would be putting up.

"This isn't going to be easy for either of them," Arbok said.

The combatants' next move was a wave of Diabolic Infernos thrown at one another. Both of them swat the giant flames aside, causing them to circle around until they were to hit, at which point they redirected them at one another. The two jets of fire collided with one another and matched each others' power until Bloodshed mixed a Hyper Beam into the attack. Blessing deflected the attack with her claws, tossing it harmlessly aside. She then froze the ground using her Absolute Zero ability and directed the expanding ice toward Bloodshed, who tried melting it with another blast of her Diabolic Inferno attack. This caused her to almost miss Blessing's attempt to brain her with a giant ice boulder generated by her icy attack earlier. Bloodshed blasted the ice boulder to bits with her Heart Stopper attack and tossed the rubble at Blessing. She scored a direct hit on Blessing with her Heart Stopper attack, shocking the heroic Sneasel while she was dodging the icy rubble. Though paralysis would soon start to take effect on her, Blessing managed to blast Bloodshed with a Heart Stopper of her own when a Lethargy attack was about to be used on her. Bloodshed was paralyzed on the spot, while Blessing was free to move about thanks to the Cheri Scarf she had stolen from the Grey Castle the day before.

"Why you impulsive little…!" Bloodshed started ranting. "How can you do this to me?! You can't even use your Dark Blessing properly!"

"Actually, I'm not the one misusing my power," Blessing responded. She turned around and put out the ring of fire with a watery beam she made by blasting her own Ice Beam with her Diabolic Inferno. "Kelvin, she's ready." She turned back to Bloodshed. "You're not keeping that evil power a second longer, Weavile."

Kelvin approached the paralyzed Bloodshed and brandished his Alpha Amulet. Touching her forehead with the Amulet, Kelvin began removing the Dark Blessing with a cry of "Alpha Purify!"

The entrance to the castle was blinded by a bright, white light emanating from Kelvin and Bloodshed. It had been Kelvin's first time Purifying a Dark Blessing out of a Pokémon, let alone out of one as ruthless as Bloodshed, but it was over in just over a minute. For his first try, Kelvin had successfully Purified Bloodshed. He put his Alpha Amulet back on as usual.

"Don't you cause any more trouble, Weavile," Kelvin said. He and Blessing got ready to enter the castle.

_"What happened?"_ Weavile asked herself in her head. _"I did everything I was supposed to do. I allowed the Dark Blessing to fill me with its power. I never resisted for a moment! But that bratty Sneasel did! She kept it from making her go through with a killing! Why does that make her so special?! Why does that make her so strong?! She just as good as rejected her gift's true power! I gleefully accepting it and everything going with it, and I lose to the brat who refused to be a tool?!"_

Weavile struggled to her feet, having overcome her paralysis. "The Dark Blessing's servant; that's what I am," she seethed. "No one is better at using it than I am. That was my reward for allowing it to fill me completely! Why should it matter how strong you are with it?! You threw away an opportunity when it presented itself to you, and for that, you triumph over me, a Pokémon who knows power when she has it?! And to top it all off, I lose the greatest power in the world because of you?!" Weavile was practically screaming now. "I am strong enough to be the Dark Blessing itself! I'm strong enough even to be Arceus! I AM WORTHY OF THE DARK BLESSING! **_I AM POWER!_**"

Weavile charged straight at Blessing, claws ready to impale her.

**_"I AM THE WORLD'S RULER! YOU ARE JUST A NOTHING!"_**

Blessing caught Weavile's claws just before she could be run through.

"You still don't get it, then," Blessing lamented, pushing Weavile back.

"What's not to get?!" Weavile demanded. "If you're so strong, then fight me without your Dark Blessing! No Dark Blessing, no moves, just claws!"

"Fine by me!" Blessing said, shoving Weavile back and attacking with a Slash attack. Weavile's gradual descent into insanity led her to rely solely on her Fury Swipes attack. She swung exceptionally viciously at Blessing, intending to kill rather than harm. Being quick on her feet allowed Blessing to avoid death at the claws of her unhinged foe until she was cornered against the castle door. At that point, Blessing, in a feat of absolutely perfect timing that was the difference between her life and her death, caught Weavile's claws, lifted her up, and tossed her away from the castle.

"This can't be," Weavile seethed, almost sounding as though she was ready to cry. "You can't be stronger than me! YOU CAN'T!" Weavile then shot an incredibly powerful Hyper Beam at Blessing, breaking her own "claws only" rule. She had packed every last reserve of her power into the attack, making it large enough to cripple the castle and bring it down on everyone inside. Blessing stood her ground and flexed her claws in front of herself, intending to deflect the attack. She then begun to charge forward and swing wildly, using her own Fury Swipes attack to slice the Hyper Beam to bits. After taking care of the Hyper Bean, she reached Weavile and non-lethally hacked away at her, ending with a solid Slash attack to her face that send her straight to the ground. She was unable to stand back up.

"Why? Why did this happen to me?!" Weavile roared.

"It's because I'm better than you," Blessing taunted in an almost sympathetic tone.

"But you can't be!" Weavile screamed, plunging further into insanity. "You're just a weak little bratty bitch! A little nothing! AN INSIGNIFICANT LITTLE POKÉMON! A POKÉMON!"

"And are you not a Pokémon, Weavile?" Blessing retorted sincerely.

To that, Weavile had nothing to say. Finally breaking down into a fit of screaming and tears, she writhed on the ground as Blessing, Kelvin, Arbok, and Drapion watched, heavily tempted to look away. When Weavile finally appeared to have calmed down, Blessing knelt down to her and made eye contact.

"Let me tell you why I'm better than you, Weavile," she said to her foe. "It's because of our differing approaches to the Dark Blessing, for starters. As you admitted earlier, you let it fill you completely. You just as good as let it make you its puppet. You were the one being controlled, and you didn't care. As long as you had its power, you couldn't be happier, but that's only because it satisfied the sadism it indoctrinated you with. You didn't have to let it do that to you. I didn't. When it tried to make me kill a dear friend of mine, I remembered when I had promised my late sister that I'd never go that far. I would then meet Giratina, who taught me that power is just power. It's ambiguous. It has no morality. The power the Dark Blessing gives is just a mindless force; it's not objectively good or bad. It, like our own moves, can be used for good or for bad. I chose to use it for good, but you chose to use it for bad. That's why I'm better than you; because I stuck to my principles and conquered the Dark Blessing to make it a force to do good with."

"But if I can't be better than you, then what do I do now?" Weavile asked, still crying. "How can I start over?"

"I'm sorry, Weavile, but I can't tell you that. But they can help you." Blessing pointed toward Arbok and Drapion, who approached their old boss. "These two are your dearest friends. Never lose sight of them. With them, you can do all sorts of wonderful things. You may even finally catch up to me with their help. But never forget how much you mean to them, and deep down, what they mean to you." With that, Blessing and Kelvin entered the Grey Castle to meet up with everyone else.

"Lady Weavile, we're sorry for betraying you," Drapion said. "We just wanted the real you to come back to us."

"We've really missed you," Arbok said. "We wanted to give this to you, too."

Weavile took the package from Arbok. Wrapped within the Rawst Scarf was an Exploration Team badge with her name on it, and the label "Team AWD." Weavile then felt a strange sensation in her heart.

"Lady Weavile, are you alright?" Arbok and Drapion asked simultaneously.

"What is this feeling?" Weavile asked. "My heart… why is it so warm? Is this what friendship feels like?"

"It's likely," Arbok answered.

"Well, what do you know?" Weavile remarked. "It's actually kinda comfortable. By the way, I have a favor to ask of you two fools."

"Anything you say," Drapion pledged.

"Never, ever, under any circumstances call me 'Bloodshed' ever again."

* * *

**Suggested music for this chapter:**

**Alpha Bridge – Chrono Trigger Main Theme (Chrono Trigger Orchestra Extra Soundtrack)**

**Explanation of Purification – Schala's Theme (Chrono Trigger)**

**Bloodshed's Last Stand – The Deceased Laugh (Final Fantasy X)**

**Blessing vs Bloodshed (Dark Blessing against Dark Blessing) – Battle with Magus (Chrono Trigger Resurrection OST)**

**Tables Turn in Blessing's Favor (Claws against Claws) – The Intrepid (Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood OST)**

**Blessing's Heart-to-Heart Talk to Weavile – Ventus's Theme (Kingdom Hearts – Birth by Sleep)**


	12. Chapter 12 - Alpha Purify!

_In the last adventure, the group had finally reached the Grey Castle after tracking it down again. Blessing, Kelvin, Arbok, and Drapion stayed outside the castle for the time being to hold off Weavile. Blessing managed to best Weavile after a grueling battle. Thanks to her, Team AWD had been reinstated. Blessing and Kelvin then left to rejoin the others, who are well on their way into the Grey Castle._

* * *

Chapter 12 – Alpha Purify!

* * *

"Alpha Blast!" Pelame shouted, letting loose a golden beam to attack a Ditto transformed into Chatot. The Ditto returned to normal, and was soon Purified by Fahrenheit.

"That's all of them, isn't it?" Sunflora asked.

"I think so," Pugno answered. "We've come across all the Ditto who acted as us in that play, as well as a few other guards."

"Can we verify that?" Chatot asked.

"Yes, we can," Celsius answered. "Pelame, Pugno, Fahrenheit, give me a hand, please. Get your Alpha Amulets out." The three did as told. "All right. Alpha Inspect."

"Alpha Inspect!"

An invisible force went all throughout the Grey Castle, originating from their current position in the main tower's eighth floor. The technique reported back in about fifteen seconds.

"No guards are left," Pelame said. "We've taken care of them all. Only Darkrai and Grovyle are left."

"Oh my gosh!" Sunflora squealed. "That means Blessing defeated Bloodshed, doesn't it?"

"Oh yes it does!" Blessing shouted from the chamber's entrance. She and Kelvin caught up to the group quickly.

"Oh, you should have seen her!" Kelvin gushed. "It was a spectacular showdown! Blessing and Weavile fought like nothing I'd ever seen before. Of course, Weavile was no match for my lovely Blessing here. Blessing was so amazing the way she gracefully dodged Weavile's relentless assault and caught her Guillotine attack and tossed her aside. Oh, I wish you all could have been treated to the marvelous sight of Blessing taking down a fearsome opponent."

Everyone stared at Kelvin in a mix of amusement and confusion. It was Blessing who broke the silence.

"And don't forget about Kelvin Purifying Weavile," she added. "For his first Purification, he succeeded, and boy what a sight that was! Really, I can't take the credit completely for myself. Some of it goes to you, sweetie." Blessing covered her mouth as soon as she realized what she just said. She blushed a bright enough red to light up her dark face.

"Blessing and Kelvin SITTING in a tree!" Loudred taunted. "K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"Oh, screw you, Loudred!" Blessing retorted.

"Hey, watch it! You're NOT gonna kiss Kelvin with such a filthy mouth, ARE you?!"

"Heh, at least I'm not in any danger of almost eating my crush, Mister Mouth-the-Size-of-Treasure-Town." She shot a smug smile at Loudred with that last remark. The other Guild members couldn't resist laughing at that last remark.

"No offense, Loudred, but you completely lost this one!" Pelame said, laughing along with the Guild crew.

"Love can be so confusing," Dusknoir whispered to Celebi.

"And speaking of crushes, shouldn't be get back to saving Celebi's?" Pugno asked, causing Celebi to blush.

"Oh, right! We've only got about seven floors until we reach the throne room!" Pelame said.

"Then let's not waste any more time!" Guildmaster Wigglytuff announced. "We're close to our friend, so let's save him!"

"Understood, sir!" everyone said.

As the group continued up the tower, the temperature was dropping, and the death-like stench of the Dark Blessing was getting more prevalent.

"Alpha Reveal," Pelame said, causing all of the fake doors the group just encountered to disappear, leaving behind the real one. "You'd think Darkrai would have come up with more tricks than just the classic 'doors-to-nowhere' routine."

"Well, he did think of our ability to teleport," Pugno responded. "That adds a lot of time to our mission. But the Demon Comet's still pretty far off, so no worries."

The group proceeded through the only remaining door and entered a majestic hallway.

"This must be the throne room's antechamber," Dusknoir said. "We're close to our goal, everyone."

Pelame shivered a little bit, partly from the anticipation of what was waiting beyond the door.

"Alpha Heal," Celsius said, instantly healing everyone in preparation of their mission's resolution.

* * *

"Thirty more minutes," Darkrai said, observing the arriving Demon Comet from the Bell Tower's Bell platform. "World, you are going to be mine in just that long. Team Space-Time, you tried. You really did, but it will all be for naught. My soldier will dispatch you all one last time, sparing you the sight of your world's downfall."

Darkrai sent a dark shield down the tower. He then resumed his spot, his hand on the rope tied to the Grey Bell's ringer, ready to summon the Demon Comet at the right moment.

* * *

A strange force prevented everyone except Pelame and Pugno from entering the Grey Castle's throne room. Only Celebi got in by virtue of being the first one in.

"Darkrai! Show yourself!" Pugno furiously demanded. The pitch-black Pokémon never arrived. Pelame, Pugno, and Celebi looked up at the throne.

"GROVIE!" Celebi screamed. "Oh my goodness!"

Grovyle rose from the black throne.

"Grovyle is now the only one I can still rely on," Grovyle said, in a mix of his own voice and Darkrai's.

"Darkrai, fight us yourself!" Pelame challenged. "Quit using Grovyle as your puppet!"

"Puppet? I have no puppets, Pelame," Grovyle said, Darkrai still speaking through him. "It's more proper to refer to them as 'vessels.' You see, Grovyle doesn't serve me."

Grovyle sprouted an evil aura and opened his eyes, which were glowing purple.

"He _is_ me."

The three friends reacted to those three words in a way that the term "surprised" would not have done it justice.

"Your friend Grovyle doesn't exist anymore. He hasn't existed since his abduction from the Grey Theatre. You now stand on the spot he ceased to be."

The three friends felt a massive wave of pain. The Demon Sigil they stood on in the middle of the throne room's floor had taken on a dark glow and damaged the three heroic Pokémon. Four identical Sigils rested in the four corners of the room. Evil energy beams came from them and hit the three Pokémon directly.

"What…is this?" Pugno asked in pain. "My soul…it's hurting my soul…!"

"And now," Grovyle-Darkrai continued. "You three will stop being yourselves, and become me, too! And just in time for the Demon Comet's arrival!"

"Never!" Pelame shouted, gathering her own power. "Pugno!"

"I'm with you!" Pugno answered.

"Make that three!" Celebi added.

"Alpha Deflect!" Pelame and Pugno shouted. Celebi aided them with four Energy Balls thrown at the Sigils on the walls. The Sigils were destroyed by the Energy Balls combined with their own deflected beams. Grovyle raised his Leaf Blades in response, ready to slice the three friends to ribbons. Just as he got ready to do so, he stopped, as if resisting something.

"Grovyle, don't listen to him!" Pugno pleaded, using the opportunity to help Grovyle fight back.

"You're our friend!" Pelame added. "You're not Darkrai's vessel!"

"Yes, he is!" Darkrai said, his voice echoing throughout the throne room. "His resistance won't last! The final bit of good he has left in his spirit is yet to be quelled, but I will see to that!"

"How did you even get _into_ his soul, or spirit, in the first place?!" Celebi demanded.

"That's simple," Darkrai answered. "He's not as pure-hearted as you think he is. In the name of saving the world, how many Pokémon was he willing to take the lives of?"

"What does that matter?!" Pelame demanded.

"That is entirely what factors into my choice to make him my vessel. He has a strong body, refined abilities, and a clear mind. His heart and soul, while in the right place, were just close enough to that slippery slope into evil for me to give him the shove he needed to plummet straight into it. He claimed to care about life, but was willing to take as many as necessary on his quest for the Time Gears. And he, Dusknoir, the Sableye soldiers, and you, Celebi, are the only three Pokémon of that era who didn't disappear from history, aside from Pugno. That makes ten survivors and millions more who now don't exist thanks to him! And Pelame, you and your friends have that on your consciences just as much as Grovyle does! And that makes you all ideal vessels for me, if I still wanted you! Grovyle is enough for me as it is."

Grovyle let out one final scream of excruciating agony before falling back under Darkrai's control.

"His spirit is mine now, and there will soon be nothing left of him to save. But I give you permission to attempt to. It would be a worthwhile way to spend the final ten minutes before the Demon Comet arrives. Grovyle, you know what to do."

Upon Darkrai's command, Grovyle unleashed an Energy Ball attack straight at Pelame, hitting her before she could properly react.

"Grovie, stop it!" Celebi pleaded. "Don't let Darkrai overtake your soul! Or spirit! Or whatever he's aiming at!" Grovyle wasn't listening, responding with actions instead of words. Celebi was blasted back by a Diabolic Inferno shot, lighting her ablaze with evil fire.

"It's no use!" Pugno said. "We're going to have to fight back if we want a chance to Purify him!"

"Are you sure about this, Pugno?" Pelame asked, clearly worried for her friend.

"There's no other way!" Pugno answered, taking a moment to put out the flames burning Celebi. "Darkrai's keeping him from listening to reason!" Grovyle nearly managed to slice Pugno's head off his shoulders before Pelame blocked his Leaf Blade with perfect timing.

"Okay, if you're sure about this," Pelame said with a hint of concern. "But we can't hurt him too much, or we could accidentally kill him."

"Got it," Pugno answered, catching Grovyle's Leaf Blade with his hands. Before the possessed wood gecko Pokémon could attack with the other Leaf Blade, Pugno blasted him point-blank with an Alpha Orb from his mouth.

"Alpha Beam!" Pelame shouted, letting loose a golden beam of light from her eyes. Grovyle moved just a little bit too late, causing the beam to strike his left shoulder and dislocate it. Grovyle let out a scream of pain.

"Heal Bell!" Celebi shouted, healing Grovyle's broken shoulder. His possession kept him from being grateful for the time traveler's kind gesture. She responded with an Ancientpower attack. "Forgive me, Grovie," she whispered.

Grovyle paused his attack and recoiled in pain. He looked at the three Pokémon apologetically.

"Grovie? Is that you?" Celebi asked.

"Now's our chance!" Pugno said.

But before Pelame and Pugno could get close enough to Purify Grovyle, Darkrai reaffirmed his hold on his unwilling vessel.

"Only six more minutes remain! It will no longer do to keep you three alive! Crucifix!"

Pelame, Pugno, and Celebi lost their ability to move, and were contorted in an X-shaped position that made them appear to be being crucified on a saltire.

"You three are nothing but trouble! Frenzy Plant!" The leaf on Grovyle's head opened up to reveal a beanstalk sprout, which extended and split into three. The ends were sharp, but the three Pokémon were whisked away before the ultimate Grass-type attack could fatally impale them.

"Shadow Ball!" Dusknoir shouted, unleashing his ultimate move on Grovyle, who reflected it back at him. Pelame and Pugno reflected it back once more, scoring a direct hit on the grass Pokémon.

"Glad you could make it!" Pelame said. "How did you get in?"

"Blessing chipped a hole in the force field surrounding the throne room," Dusknoir answered.

"Yep, I came to the rescue again," Blessing added. "Now can we get back to saving Grovyle?"

"No you can't!" Darkrai shouted through Grovyle's mouth. "Fissure!" Grovyle disappeared, and then reappeared on the ceiling. He jumped down and landed with tremendous force, shaking the entire castle down to its foundation, sinking the entire castle down five stories and opening holes in the floor that led clearly out the bottom of the floating continent the Grey Castle rested on. Luckily for the five opposing Pokémon, they had acted fast enough to avoid falling to their deaths.

"Alpha Defense!" Pelame shouted, protecting herself from a Frenzy Plant that sprouted from where she was to land from her jump.

"Ice Beam!" Blessing shouted, freezing Grovyle on the spot with her icy attack. The ice failed to hold, though Grovyle was starting to show signs of fatigue. Pugno threw an Aura Sphere at him, blasting him directly in the belly. Dusknoir appeared behind him and took hold of his arms.

"Purify him now, Pugno!" he ordered.

Pugno acted as if he had always known he was to do this. He rushed up to Grovyle and took off his Alpha Amulet, touching it to Grovyle's collar.

"Darkrai, you get out of Grovyle's soul! Alpha Purify!" Pugno shouted. Dusknoir let go of Grovyle, who wasn't able to move the moment his old partner used his new technique on him.

A white light glowed throughout the room. Pugno's entire body was glowing the same shade of white as his heart, mind, and soul were. He was making a connection with Grovyle's heart, mind, and soul, which were all afflicted by a force that was stronger than the Dark Blessing, but of the same element. It was a fragment of an evil soul. Pugno recognized it as being even darker than Darkrai's, though he had no clue whose it could be. He couldn't ponder that, as this evil force was making a desperate attempt to stay bound to Grovyle, and attempting also to corrupt him as well. Pugno felt the evil creep into his own being, and it hurt him horribly to experience it. The white glow was beginning to dim slightly. It regained its brilliance once Pugno pushed back with the purity of his own being, reminding himself of who he was saving. It felt as if his being was pleading to Grovyle's being to remember the noble Pokémon he really was. The noble friend he was. He wasn't a vessel. He was a friend!

Those heartwarming thoughts appealed to the remains of Grovyle's being and finally forced the evil out. The white glow finally faded from the room. Once everyone was able to see again, they saw their dear friend Grovyle standing there.

"Grovie, is it really you?" Celebi asked.

"Celebi…Pugno…my friends," Grovyle started sadly. "Please, forgive me. Darkrai made me do horrible things, but I couldn't stop myself. All I could do was watch helplessly as my body acted on Darkrai's will instead of my own. I'm so sorry."

"Grovyle, we know the circumstances," Pugno reassured. "We're just happy to finally have you back with us. We really missed you." Pugno gave Grovyle a big hug, and the wood gecko hugged him back. Celebi joined them both.

"Pelame, come join us," Celebi said. "Grovyle's fine. Pugno put him back to…" Celebi cut her own sentence off in shock at the sight of Pelame keeled over, as if she had died. Pugno, Celebi, Grovyle, Dusknoir, and Blessing came forward to try to aid her, only to be repelled by a strong dark power. Pelame writhed in pain, scrunching her eyes shut. When she opened them, they had turned purple, leaving no whites to be found.

**"THE CHOSEN ONE HAS CEASED TO BE."**

Pelame's mouth formed the words, though neither she nor the force possessing her spoke them. All the Pokémon in the room heard them being spoken directly to their minds. Pelame's eyes suddenly returned to normal in an attempt to resist the evil power. The resistance didn't last, and her eyes resumed their evil glow. Only Pugno could get close to her.

**"THE ALPHA BLOOD RUNNING IN THIS EEVEE'S VEINS RUNS NO MORE."**

Pugno looked into Pelame's soul using his Alpha Amulet and made a horrible discovery.

"Pelame," he said to her. "You can beat back this power. I know you can."

Even in her current state, Pelame could hear Pugno's voice supporting her.

"What's going on, Pugno?" Grovyle asked.

"That thing that possessed you wasn't the Dark Blessing, Grovyle," Pugno said. "It was something worse, and now it's trying to turn Pelame into its vessel!"

"No it's not," Celsius said, entering the throne room with the rest of the group. "It's trying something worse than possession."

The Alpha Amulet Pelame wore stopped glowing its usual golden glow and turned into a harmless yellow object.

"It's attempting to annihilate her. It's trying to kill her by destroying her heart, mind, soul, and body. In other words, her spirit. There will be nothing left of her, as if she never existed at all."

Dark ice was beginning to form around Pelame, freezing her solid. Pugno turned back to her, attempting once more to get through to her. "I know you can push it back. Think of what makes you you." He knelt down as tears started to form in his eyes.

"Pelame, please don't leave me."

* * *

**"DANGER. YOU ARE ONE TO THE DARK BLESSING."**

Pelame felt her entire being disappearing. As hard as she was trying to resist it, it was too strong.

**"WEAKLING. COWARD. LOSER."**

"Pelame, please don't leave me."

Hearing Pugno's voice inspired something in Pelame. Her vision returned to her, and she could see all of her friends. Suddenly, memories of all the highlights of her life came rushing back to her.

* * *

"Pelame, I want to see you smile again. I want to see your true self again. Please, don't let this evil power win. Don't let it take the love of my life away from me. Don't let it take away the best Pokémon that ever happened to the world!"

Everyone in the room watched the scene unfolding before them, hoping for Pelame to win the internal struggle of hers. They made eye contact with her, causing something to happen to her. Her eyes started returning to normal, but her Alpha Amulet was still dim.

"Pelame, when I first met you, I wanted to help you. I felt comfortable with you. You always said how much you needed me back then, but I needed you, too. I still do. We all do. Look at them; they also want to see you be you again. We don't know what we'd do without you."

* * *

_"I don't know what I'd do without you," Pelame said to a disappearing Pugno._

More memories of Pugno were rushing back to her.

_"Even after I disappear, I will never forget you."_

Pelame was slowly regaining her resolve.

_"Let's do our best today, Pelame! Let's always do our best!"_

* * *

The ice started to cover Pugno as well, but he didn't pay it any heed. He embraced Pelame and brought her in for a kiss. His eyes were quickly leaking tears.

* * *

_"Pugno," Pelame said. "I don't want to disappear. I don't want to make you sad. I'm staying here, in the world. I'm staying… with all my friends!"_

* * *

Pelame's Alpha Amulet resumed glowing as it normally did. Though frozen solid, she managed to grasp her Amulet and touch it to her own chest. A blinding white glow lit the room up. When it faded, Pelame and Pugno were embracing one another, engaged in a passionate kiss. When they broke it off, they stared into each others' eyes.

"You did it, my love," Pugno said.

"Of course I did," Pelame responded. "I would never leave you. I love you too much to put you through that. I'd never want to put anyone through that."

"Thank goodness you didn't," Blessing said. "But Pelame, I knew you could do it. You're really an amazing friend."

"Thanks, Blessing. And as another favor to the world, I'm now more ready than ever to stop the Demon Comet!"

* * *

**Suggested music for this chapter:**

**Scaling the Grey Castle – Crystal Tower (Final Fantasy III)**

**Grovyle the Vessel – Holy Nightmare Co. (Kirby of the Stars anime OST)**

**Vessel Grovyle gets Ready for Battle – Guardian of Fate (Pokemon Mystery Dungeon – Gates to Infinity)**

**Fighting Vessel Grovyle – Sad but True (Resident Evil 5)**

**Pelame's Dark Blessing' Final Move – Possession (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix)**

**Together Again – Tatl and Tael (The Legend of Zelda – Majora's Mask)**


	13. Chapter 13 - Demon Gambit

**A/N: At this point, I should explain something. "Spirit" is basically the term referring to the entire metaphysical existence of something (it consists of the heart, mind, and soul in this story). That said, thanks for sticking with the Hope and Faith saga for this long. At last, the conclusion of the story.**

* * *

_In the last adventure, the group consisting of Pelame, Pugno, the Wigglytuff Guild crew, Team Temperature's founders Fahrenheit and Celsius, their son Kelvin, Blessing, Celebi, Dusknoir, and the Sableye soldiers had infiltrated the Grey Castle and breached the throne room. Grovyle was waiting inside, still possessed by Darkrai. After freeing Grovyle, the evil force possessing Grovyle made an attempt to completely annihilate Pelame, but thanks to Pugno's moral support, she beat it back and Purified herself. Now nothing stands between our heroes and the end of their mission to stop the Demon Comet._

* * *

Chapter 13 – Demon Gambit

* * *

"Now, world, fall to the Dark Blessing!" Darkrai declared, ready to toll the Grey Castle's bell. His hand was on the string, and he was ready to pull. Just two minutes remained until he called the Demon Comet down and destroyed the world, thinking he would gain the power to rule all.

"Alpha Fire!"

With Pelame's use of the basic Alpha Bloodline fire attack, Darkrai's dreams burned away with the string.

"Just leave the world alone already!" Pelame shouted. "Did you think you were going to conquer it?!"

"I still can, you know," Darkrai replied calmly.

"Alpha Defense!"

Pugno put a shield around the bell, preventing the possibility of Darkrai using an attack to toll it.

"Sorry, Darkrai," he said, not able to help sounding smug. "We love the world too much to let it live for only two more minutes."

"For a Pokémon who put all this thought into conquering the world, you sure are an idiot," Blessing taunted. "For someone who concocted a plan centering around an unnatural phenomenon, you really are blind to the most important detail. Did you really think the Demon Comet would give you the power to conquer the world?"

"You made me your puppet," Grovyle added. "But you never realized how much of a puppet you yourself were all along. Either that, or you're so charismatic a liar that you even successfully fooled yourself."

"Oh, this is too much!" Darkrai stated in amused disbelief. "You're not good at all at persuading me to abandon my plan to conquer the world and turn it into a world of darkness. Of course, you'd never succeed no matter what."

"But that's just it," Dusknoir added. "You won't be conquering the world. You'll destroy it. The Dark Blessing will overrun the world and destroy all life."

"Nonsense still! The Dark Blessing obeys me and me alone. I can prevent life's destruction. All the Dark Blessing will do is obey my every whim. And all I need is the Demon Comet. Dark Pulse!"

Catching everyone off guard, Darkrai blasted everyone with his attack. The Demon Comet provided a power boost, making the attack much more painful than normal.

"One more minute, and the world will belong to the Dark Blessing! In other words,…"

"Alpha Orb!" Pugno shouted, getting up and blasting Darkrai with his signature move. Unfortunately, Darkrai anticipated this. He sent up a dozen Demon Orbs inside the bell, intending to set them off in the next minute.

"Don't bother," Darkrai taunted just as Pelame was getting ready to put up a new Alpha Defense around the bell. "They'll go off in less than a minute. I hope you understand who the world belongs to now."

"I know who it belongs to. It belongs to Arceus!"

A voice came seemingly from above the bell turret, though no one seemed to be around. The fact that the speaker was hidden also made a mystery of the source of what happened next. A trio of Hyper Beams rained down on the bell turret and destroyed the bell completely. The turret itself suffered substantial damage and sunk into the ground. When the dust cleared, Team AWD stood among the ruins.

"I always said the world belongs to those who know how to rule it, didn't I?" Weavile taunted. She rushed over to the group's side, as did her teammates. "Say, Blessing, what do you say we take Darkrai out once and for all, huh?"

"Fine by me, Weavile," Blessing replied. "But try not to get in my way."

Before anyone could do anything, the world suddenly got darker. To everyone's shock, the Demon Comet was directly falling toward the world, despite all the best efforts to stop it.

"Wait a minute!" Pelame said. "You didn't toll the bell! There was no way for you to summon the Demon Comet!"

"Could it be?" Darkrai said, just as surprised as everyone else. "Yes! It has recognized me as its master after all! I never needed the Grey Castle at all!" He turned and glared tauntingly at his opponents. "After all your hard work, you still failed to save your precious world! But your resistance was fun while it lasted! Bow, now, to your new king!"

Those words echoed throughout the world as the Demon Comet landed on the world.

* * *

The world had taken on an unpleasant look. Looking at it reminded Pelame, Pugno, and the Pokémon from the future of the paralyzed planet the world would have once become. Only there was no saving it this time. Darkrai had unquestionably won, and he now ruled all.

So why did he look so distressed?

"What's happening?" Darkrai asked. "The Demon Comet is here. I now stand before it, and I have addressed it with my desire. So why do I not feel any stronger?"

"Not feel stronger?" Pelame asked of her friends. "You mean, Darkrai didn't win after all?"

"Hey, I'm not feeling any power spikes, either," Blessing added. "But the Demon Comet was supposed to spread the Dark Blessing to all living things and destroy them, wasn't it?"

"What's happening?!" Darkrai demanded. He then turned to Pelame. "It's _YOUR_ doing! **_YOU_** did this to me! It's all an Alpha Bloodline trick!" When he got ready to attack, his strength left him instantly, and he collapsed. "Why?! The Dark Blessing… has it… failed me after all?"

**"No. ****_You_****, Darkrai, are the one who failed ****_it_****."**

It was no longer a new sensation for anyone to experience anymore. The words were spoken directly to their minds without a voice to speak them.

**"But it was not to be any other way. All has gone as foreseen."**

"So Darkrai _was_ a puppet after all!" Celebi said. "The Dark Blessing itself pulled his strings ever since the Grey Theatre incident!"

**"Incorrect. I have pulled his strings for even longer than that."**

"Wait a minute," Pelame started. "What do you mean by that?! How long have you been manipulating him?"

**"But he is only one. One of many at my beck and call."**

"You had others?" Pugno asked. Then he realized something. "Wait! It was _you_ who I Purified out of Grovyle! And it was you who tried to kill Pelame's entire existence! Her spirit!"

**"She was too dangerous for me to allow to live. She would not have made a suitable vessel, anyway. No; Darkrai, Grovyle, and Weavile were all fit for that part."**

"I can understand Darkrai, and to a lesser extent, Weavile," Dusknoir said. "But what did Grovyle have to do with your plan? Why was he a target to you?"

**"Target to ****_us_****, Dusknoir. He was your enemy, too. Do you not remember?"**

"Yes I do remember!" Dusknoir replied. "But the time of my being his enemy has been over for years!"

**"Then you really don't remember at all. He was no enemy to you. He was the enemy to Primal Dialga. As Grovyle stated, your servitude to Primal Dialga was solely out of your fear of disappearing from time. Is that really why you became his servant? Do you remember the day you started serving him?"**

For once, Dusknoir couldn't answer. He was given no time to ponder.

**"Of course not. It's not possible for you to remember that. It's ****_my_**** memory, after all."**

The power those five words had on everyone was staggering to say the least. Ever since his change for the better, Dusknoir had always regarded his prior life to be a lie. And now, it sounded as though the Dark Blessing itself had confirmed it. It sounded as if that was the case, but it also sounded as though it were something else entirely.

**"The Great and Wise Dusknoir; the lie he lived in his first visit to this era, was a perfect one, free of all suspicion. Not even ****_he_**** knew what he was saying. But he remembers. He remembers saying it all, but he never remembered who it ****_really_**** was who was saying all that. He never knew who Primal Dialga's ****_real_**** servant was. The truth is, no one served Primal Dialga. It couldn't be that way if Primal Dialga was himself a servant."**

"That's right!" Darkrai snapped. "Primal Dialga served me!"

**"Incorrect again. Even Darkrai was a servant. Darkrai, Primal Dialga, Dusknoir, and the six Sableye soldiers. Grovyle and Weavile were to join their ranks recently, but to no avail. Weavile's treachery was doomed from the start, and Grovyle regained himself. But the others; they regained their true selves years ago. But even though they did, everything still worked out. They remembered serving the darkness, though they never knew the true nature of their servitude. They lived on, convinced that their prior lives were lies. That's what they were. The life they all collectively lived, was mine."**

It was trouble taking all of this information in. The revelation of who their enemy always was stunned them beyond comprehension.

**"Yes, Dusknoir. It was not your plan to lure Grovyle to the Icicle Forest in an attempt to destroy his spirit. That was my plan, foiled only because Grovyle's heart-to-heart talks with you about life inspired you to resist me. The plan was for me to make Grovyle my vessel, from which point I would no longer have required you."**

"This is…" Loudred said. "…I…My mind…won't stop blowing up. What's…?"

**"The part of me residing in you, your soldiers, and even the forest, were all to congregate within Grovyle's empty shell. You unknowingly thwarted that plan, just by listening to him, just by believing him. That's why I wanted Grovyle to be a vessel. He served as a living beacon of hope in a dire time where hope should have remained a superstition. It was his idea to save the planet from paralyzing, and his friend Pugno went along with it, believing his words and not caring about his own fate. He, by extension, is the reason why Team Space-Time came to be, and why they've come as far as they have. He's a very important figure to the whole world, so much so that he could pass for being the 'Chosen One.' If I were to make a vessel out of such an inspirational figure, the world of the future would have lost its last hope, as well as the interlopers that caused his undoing."**

"Wait a sec!" Celebi said. "Did you just say the Icicle Forest was one of you vessels, too?! You can make vessels out of geographical locations?!"

**"There is nothing I can't make a vessel out of. I can only lose them if they're Purified by the power of the Alpha Bloodline. Dusknoir, the Sableye, and Primal Dialga were all Purified when Arceus spared their lives along with Grovyle's and Celebi's. And these past few days, I lost even more of my vessels, including Grovyle. The loss of the very vessel I needed the most was a big one. But I lost nothing from that. All of you were the ones who lost something upon the Purification of my vessels. Namely, your world."**

Everyone was shocked to the point of not even being able to make a sound in response.

**"Dark Blessings that are Purified are not truly destroyed. They instead return to their source. They return to me, and give me the power they had while they were within a vessel of mine. The power I received upon the Purification of Dusknoir, Primal Dialga, and the Sableye were almost enough for me, but there was just a small bit missing. Foolishly, Pelame and Pugno had teamed up with Cresselia to pursue and defeat Darkrai. But it was Palkia who prevented his escape. All of you lived under the notion that he had lost all of his memories, though what he actually lost was me. You remain correct about the memories, though; I took those with me. Having no memory before I made a vessel out of him left him with nothing, and left me with the power I needed to return to the world. Though it was a premature one, my rebirth devastated the world one year ago."**

Pelame finally found the courage to speak up. "What do you mean by that?! What did you do one year ago?!" she demanded.

**"Lots of things, actually. Everything from causing Grovyle to murder one of your teammates to murdering your dear friend Cresselia."**

"Who in the world…?" Pelame asked before going rigid with apprehension.

**"In fact, I gave you those scars, Pelame. Your last battle against me left you in shambles."**

From the Demon Comet came a dark form. Dark power was gathering around it. Pelame was paralyzed with fear as she suddenly remembered all the horrible events that transpired one year ago.

"You never really died…" she started, terrified. "You've lived through Darkrai all this time, and through Dusknoir, Primal Dialga, and the Sableye before that. From the beginning, _you_ were the enemy all along…"

**"And only now, with my permission, do you remember."**

For that last sentence, a voice was clearly heard speaking it. It was the high, raspy voice of a figure everyone hoped to have seen the last of.

"…Everything was according to your plans," Pelame continued. "We played directly into your hands, as we've been for years…"

Pugno realized what Pelame was thinking. "Pelame, you're not saying…!"

"Yes, Pugno, I am! All along, our enemy was Unod, the World Destroyer!"

Upon hearing the name of the world's biggest threat, everyone else suddenly remembered everything that had happened one year prior. Grovyle remembered being turned into a living puppet and being forced to kill Blessing's older sister Loyal. Blessing remembered where she got her power from, and how she was almost coerced into killing Grovyle. Pelame and Pugno remembered how they once temporarily disbanded Team Space-Time, and how Cresselia died atop Temporal Tower. And finally, everyone remembered Dialga and Palkia offering to help track down whatever was responsible for the world being destroyed 96 years into the future. Now they understood why they never followed up on that deal; as far as they could remember, they never made such a deal at all.

**"My true rebirth approaches. Since this will take a while, I can let you all in on how this all came to be. The Demon Comet was my creation, one of a few methods I devised to make my rebirth possible. The other method, running concurrent with the Comet, was the vessels I made and lived through. I, without making him aware of my presence, gave Darkrai the idea to harness the power of my Demon Comet, giving him the idea that it would give him the power to rule all darkness. From there, he created more vessels for me, including Grovyle, never guessing that the intent was for them all to be purified, and as a result, their power returned to me. As you all now see, that all went off flawlessly. And so, too, did my method of making you all unaware of who the real mastermind was. As far as you all know, I never existed until now, until I returned your memories of myself to you. After all, if none of you knew me, you'd never be able to stop me. You'd never even be able to try until it was too late! Which was my reason for making you all forget my actions from a year ago. That took effect on the day after I was defeated at Temporal Tower. As soon as the clock stroked midnight, it was done, and the world forgot that I ever existed."**

"And that's why I couldn't remember what had happened to my arm," Grovyle said, remembering his confusion over why his left arm had been mutilated.

"And why I couldn't remember the circumstances of my sister's death," Blessing added.

**"At the same time, I had tracked Darkrai down and made him my vessel once more. From there, I put everything together to cause this all to be possible."**

The entire world started to quake under an unbelievable surge of power.

**"And now, bear witness to the end of the whole world!"**

The Demon Comet disintegrated and was absorbed into the dark entity standing on it. Suddenly, a large worm-like mouth came out of the aura and clamped down on Darkrai. Six tendrils came out and snatched the Sableye soldiers, instantly engulfing them. Pelame just barely managed to block a seventh tendril heading toward herself. However, it was too late to save Darkrai. The largest mouth repeatedly chomped on Darkrai, who was screaming in agony the whole time. His screaming suddenly stopped after another clamp and a gruesome crunching sound could be heard. The other seven tendrils ate away at Darkrai's corpse, absorbing his body and spirit all at once.

"I'm gonna be sick…" Celebi said, about ready to vomit at the sight that just unfolded.

The entity in the aura was hardly visible, though Pelame was able to make out a few details. There was no longer just one wing; there were now eight, four on each side of the World Destroyer's body. They resembled thorny vines, and they were all tipped with what looked like arrowheads. Pelame couldn't see anything else except her glowing orange eyes.

**"I should thank you, Pelame. If it weren't for you, I'd never have made it this far. Purifying me out of yourself was the final ingredient of my plan."**

"No…" Pelame collapsed to her haunches. "This isn't… this can't be happening…"

"Is this it?" Chatot asked.

"We've lost after all?" Guildmaster Wigglytuff asked.

"It looks like it," Dusknoir answered. "And it's all our fault."

"No," Grovyle said, dejectedly. "It's my fault. If I had just accepted life in a dark, paralyzed world, we wouldn't have lost the world at all. I should've known that a paralyzed world is better than no world at all."

**"Indeed. For those this stupid world looked up to as 'heroes,' you certainly aided me more than you aided Arceus. Especially you, Pelame, the so-called Chosen One. Maybe you should have let me destroy your existence. I would have accidentally prevented my own self-resurrection if you had let me succeed in doing that. But no; your desire to live killed the whole world. Tell me; are you proud of yourself now?"**

Pelame was too ashamed to answer. Tears started to form in her eyes. "What… what have… I done…?"

**"Everything except save the world."**

The eight wings of the World destroyer extended upward and pointed at a central point in the sky. Energy formed around the wings and congregated to form a small orb. The whole world turned dark when the orb was made, and became darker and colder the bigger the orb got. Arbok, Drapion, and Weavile were absorbed into the orb. As soon as they made contact with it, their bodies stretched and were dragged into the center of the orb in a spiral pattern, literally spaghettifying them to death. The orb soon reached the size of the planet.

"No… don't…please…" Pelame pleaded. "I'm begging you."

**"I was born solely to do this. I call myself the World Destroyer because of what I am finally able to do now. My destiny is complete now!"**

"WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!" Pelame screamed through her tears as much as her entire being would let her. "Don't you realize what's going to happen if you drop that attack?! All life will end!"

**"My Death Orb attack wasn't meant for anything else, Pelame."**

"By 'all life,' I mean ALL life! Not just me and my friends. Not just all the Pokémon of the world. Not even just Arceus. ALL LIFE! Even including you! If you do this, you'll die, too! Deep down, you don't want to do that! Do you? Do you really want to end your own life just to be rid of the gift of life itself?"

The Death Orb appeared to pause.

"Look in your heart, Unod! Ask your conscience! What are they telling you to do?! They don't want you to do this, either! There has to be something in this world you care about. Someone, something, anything! Think of whatever or whoever it is! Think of what it actually means to live! Please! I'm begging you; just do it! Isn't there a single thing making you reconsider destroying all life?! Do you even care about your own life?" Pelame asked that final question with as much compassionate sincerity as she could show to her mortal enemy. She looked pleadingly at the World Destroyer as she asked her question. "Do you even care?"

Finally, the World Destroyer spoke.

**"Well, Pelame, when you put it that way…"**

Pelame never took her pleading eyes off of her opponent. Any moment now, the answer would come.

And then, it did.

**"…No. I ****_don't_**** care."**

* * *

**Suggested music for this chapter:**

**Darkrai's Final Stand – Ghost Battle (Pokemon Mystery Dungeon – Explorers of Sky)**

**Darkrai Betrayed – Catastrophe (Final Fantasy VI)**

**The Death Orb – Emptiness (Full Metal Alchemist 2003 Anime OST)**


End file.
